Tamar - Mal Peets

Recommended for 15-18 year olds.

Tamar is an engaging story of love and war, of tragedy and betrayal and of understanding who you are. The plot draws loosely on the Nazi occupation of Holland during World War Two, presenting a flashback story of two British secret agents who are parachuted into the country in the dead of night to become involved with local resistance groups. Spliced with this tale is the story of one of their granddaughters attempting to discover the real identity of her family and herself.

I don't want to give too much of the plot away, because part of the power of this novel is in the way Peets twists, ties and then unravels the plot to reveal a deliciously unexpected ending.

Flashing between the 1940's and 1995, Peets establishes a believeable love story amidst the danger and suspense of the war. The narrative moves quickly, providing more and more clues for the reader to piece together. This is one book you will find hard to put down, because the more you read the bigger the picture seems, so the more you have to read to understand it all. It is a masterful puzzle which will leave you reeling at the end.

The foreign names of some of the characters may take you a while to get accustomed to, and the suspense in some parts may prove too much for the faint of heart, but for those who enjoy fiction with a real historical feel, you can't go past this one.

Recommended for 15-18 year olds because of the war content and relationship dramas.