The Woman the War Kept

Project Reflection: Book Two

By: Juliet Benson

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

A foolish, drunken mistake cost Stephen six months of his life. When he was offered the chance of freedom, he took it, even if it came with the strange condition of having to live in a very strange house with mirrors that look at you and decide a new and very different life for you.

Stephen is taken by one of the mirrors and spat out into London during its darkest hour. He has a new body, life, and responsibilities he could never have imagined. He is now Maggie, a wife, a mother, a lover, and a survivor.

Hunger, air raids, and desire reshape him. New urges take root. At first, the new Maggie fears she has exchanged one prison for another, more permanent one. She learns that even the greatest hardships can be overcome, and even joy can be found if she truly tries to embrace becoming someone else.

Set against the lived reality of wartime London, The Woman the War Kept is a haunting, intimate novel about identity, gender, time, and how life can become ever-changing - even beyond our wildest dreams.

So much potential!

This story has such an interesting premise! But, it seemed like a... second draft. It would do well with some fleshing out; more character-building. The "virtual voice" didn't help. There was very little humanity in a story that NEEDED it. I wanted to love it, but will settle for a 'like'. So much untapped potential.