Kitty Taylor by Sarah Colliver
Insightful, Captivating, Thought-Provoking
Kitty Taylor by Sarah Colliver Writing 
France held a very special place in Kitty’s heart with its culture, diverse landscapes and its exquisite wine and cuisine, not to mention its seductive language. She longed to re-locate there once again, but for now she had to be content with her job working for Manon. At least that gave her the chance to immerse herself in all things French and pretend she was actually there, for a significant quantity of each day. However, she was only too aware that the times they were living in would currently become an increasing challenge for her beloved country and people she craved to exist alongside, she wanted to play a significant part, all the time knowing that her family would rally against it. Her Grandmere is her only confidante, knowing that she can never impart any information that Kitty entrusts her with. Fate is about to intervene. Who can she trust and are some long held passions and beliefs about to be shattered forever? 
It’s probably not good to admit that I was unaware of the role that the S.O.E played in World War II, or even what they did. Therefore this novel has certainly been an education for me. I was utterly unaware of, and shocked at the ‘recruitment’ process and procedures. The courage shown by the brave men and women who fought 80 years ago was inspirational and so well depicted within this novel. Kitty’s courage, foresight, perception and observational skills carry her through the relatively short time that she is required. I was surprised that she had a choice whether to go ahead with what was being asked of her, right up until the last second, not to mention the level of planning in order to be prepared for all eventualities and also to conceal the details of her assignment to those closest to her and then to the enemy.
However, having accepted her mission and clearly priding herself in having the skills that were required, it must have then been very difficult when those skills failed her amidst the dealings with certain people who were not as they seemed and able to cloak their true intentions, especially those who were no stranger to her despite the unfamiliar surroundings. Knowing that you have placed your faith in someone across what must seem like two different lives, only to be deceived, must be an extremely bitter pill to swallow. The level of deception that existed in those times, and from whom, was something that I found hard to digest. How a person can appear to be on one side, and then it be revealed they are in fact acting on both sides of a divide, just seems beyond treacherous. Although Kitty is clearly guarded and savvy enough to know that emotions cannot cloud her judgement, and that she has to remain unaffected, learning that people aren’t always what they seem, the worse possible way has to affect a person. Valerie was clearly a shock to her because she had naturally formed an attachment of sorts within the pretence of their situation, even letting her emotionally take the place of another she should have been so close to. When the reality is that you can trust no one, except yourself, that has to be a very frightening reality. 
I read a book a couple of years ago along a very similar theme, which in places was a lot more graphic and it took me a long time to forget some of the worst things that I read. Although Sarah has made the experiences that Kitty is subject to hard hitting, she has not gone into as much detail, and for that I was grateful. 
The family dynamic she has, not entirely being as she would want it, I think makes it easier initially for her to leave them. I wasn’t sure how I felt about the way in which, because she is unable to share her secrets with anyone, she chooses to offload to someone who cannot respond, nor do the same. While Kitty feels that she has the security that maybe the information she is disclosing is not fully processed or even heard, I wonder if the knowledge was in fact, left unwittingly as a burden.
It is clear that this book has been thoroughly researched due to the amount of detail. A narrative that took me through all the range of emotions, surprising me with the twist at the end, leaving me feeling dismayed at how quickly life can change on such a seismic level, which although this has always been the case, it just seems much more devastating in this context. I was glad that Kitty was bestowed her letters, but also thought it cruel that she could not have been permitted to have them sooner. I liked that Kitty eventually reflects on all that she has been through, wondering of the fate of those people who’s lives touched hers. 
The end hints at a sequel, which I will most certainly be reading. Although Sarah seems to favour tackling the more gritty issues of life, which has not been my genre of choice in the past, she writes them in such a way as to entertain and make the reader think and imagine, rather than prioritising the shock value, laying it out on the page and therefore forcing the reader to acknowledge details they may not want to realise. This is why I will continue to embrace and devour anything that she writes. 
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