THE SEA BEFORE US by SARAH SUNDIN

THE SEA BEFORE US is the first in the SUNRISE AT NORMANDY series by SARAH SUNDIN. I have read and enjoyed all her novels, in which the stories are worked out against the backdrop of the Second World War. THE SEA BEFORE US mostly takes place in 1944 in London, with the build up towards D Day and the battle that changed the tide of the war. It is obvious that the Author has done a great deal of research. It is a beautifully told story in which we see courage, heartache, unrequited love and family relationships as some of the issues discussed. The Christian message is firmly woven into the story.
Dorothy Fairfax is a WREN working at headquarters in the mapping section, where they receive postcards and photographs, sent under the guise of holiday memories, in order to scope out the landscape on the French coast, looking for anything sinister.
Lieutenant Wyatt Paxton is from Texas. He ran away from home and is now in London. He feels very guilty for his past, even though he knows Jesus died on the cross for him. He is a Prodigal who feels he cannot go home, or even write to his family until he has made enough money to pay his brother back for the money he stole from him. He and Dorothy are good for one another. They make a pact that he will write to his parents if she will go to church.
Dorothy feels unloved by her father, who is grieving the deaths of his wife and two sons. She feels she is unlovable with her freckles and boisterous nature. When Lieutenant Commander Lawrence Eaton comes in to her life again, she tries to be sophisticated. It is a good thing she has always been good at play acting. She has loved Lawrence since she was a chubby child and her brothers brought their dashing friend home for holidays.
There is a cleverly worked out plot and it is a most enjoyable book, especially for those of us who are looking for good biblical content and are interested in the history of that time period. I read the novel straight through twice and can highly recommend it.
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