Sleeping Through War by Jackie Carreira

Sleeping Through War

by Jackie Carreira

Set against the backdrop of real, world-changing events, these are the stories that are forgotten in the history books.

 

The year is 1968 and the world is changing forever. During the month of May, students are rioting and workers are striking across the globe, civil rights are being fought and died for, nuclear bombs are being tested, there are major conflicts on every continent, and war is raging in Vietnam. Against this volatile background, three women strive to keep everything together.

 

Rose must keep her dignity and compassion as a West Indian nurse in East London. Amalia must keep hoping that her son can escape their seedy life in Lisbon. And Mrs Johnson in Washington DC must keep writing to her son in Vietnam. She has no-one else to talk to. Three different women, three different countries, but all striving to survive - a courageous attitude that everybody can relate to.

 

Although Sleeping Through War is a work of fiction, this somewhat hidden history attempts to humanise a few weeks in time that were so stuffed with monumental events that it’s easy to forget the people involved. The author was a child in 1968 and lived in London and Lisbon during the 1960s. She met women like these and didn’t want their voices to go unheard into the future. Readers of both history and literary fiction will enjoy this emotionally-vivid work that weaves fiction into fact.

Reviewed by Lynn on

4 of 5 stars

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4.5 stars

Sleeping Through War isn't at all what I expected, and I don't mean it in a negative way. It's unlike anything I've read before and I heartily enjoyed it. The narrative follows the lives of three women concurrently during a volatile period in world history.

Fascinating. I appreciated the detail the author poured into the narrative, focusing on the everyday lives of these women from differing backgrounds. In the beginning, I did wonder if their lives would connect at some point. However, as we begin to get to know them, it becomes clear their stories are unique and specific to them.

The time-line is short; merely three weeks during May 1968. It not only highlights the newsworthy events around the world during this time in history but what happens to three ordinary women and those close to them. The narrative highlights how within a short space of time, everything can change and not always for the better. As the stories about Amalia in Lisbon, Portugal, Mrs Johnson in Washington DC, US and Rose, newly arrived in London from St Lucia unfold, these women going about their everyday lives. They struggle just as much as those affected by the wars and demonstrations at this time, only their tragedies and difficulties never get heard.

As a reader, I loved the concept of Sleeping Through War. Although there isn't a physical link between these women they share a common link; all are trying their best to do what is right. One is writing to a son who is fighting in the Vietnam war. Another is trying her best to keep food on the table to care for her son after his father, her husband died fighting in the Angola War. Lastly, a lady newly arrived from the Caribbean who forms a friendship with a young single mother. Ms Carreira conveys their stories with compassionate insight.

Well researched, the writing is sublime as the narrative invites the reader to pause and think not only about these world events which occurred before many of us were born but to ponder and reflect upon everyday scenarios as relevant today as they were fifty years ago.

***arc generously received courtesy of the publisher Troubador***

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 8 September, 2018: Finished reading
  • 8 September, 2018: Reviewed