This was a really interesting book, I didn’t know anything about Norway during WW2. The characters were complex but like-able for the most part. I love a back and forth between timelines and POVs so they had me from the jump.

I really enjoyed this book overall. It was well written and researched and and Tod the story of the war based on Norway’s experience and I felt it was such a real raw well told story
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me read and review book

Wow! I absolutely loved this novel for so many reasons! It is so well written. The author really gave great insight into what life was like for many women and children in Norway during WWII. It is written in multiple timelines spanning from the latter part of the war (mid 1940s) to the late 1980s.

It is the story of Anni and her daughter, Ingrid, navigating life, with the help of friends and family, during the end of WWII and years after. Through many twists, turns, and trials they discover how strong they both are and what family truly means.

I love reading historical fiction novels that are set in places I did not know much about. I learned about many things throughout this book! This book is a definite must read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Allison & Busby for my eARC. All thoughts are my own.

A very well-written novel about Norway during WW2; and a bad government decision which led to misery for Norwegian women and children. It introduced me to an aspect of life in wartime Norway I wasn't expecting, and found quite shocking.
The story is set in a small coastal community where most of the men had, after the German occupation, stayed in Britain or Canada. Anni is left with her young daughter and mother-in-law to 'hold the fort' whilst her husband is in the merchant navy overseas. She is capable, resourceful and a member of the Resistance. Then a Germany civil servant is billeted on her ......... The novel is set in the latter years of the war, and then in various years later, and from the points of view of Anni and her daughter.

Please read it; you won't be disappointed.

With thanks to NetGalley and Allison & Busby for an ARC.

I was completely immersed in this accomplished novel that even having finished it some hours ago, my head in still in Norway during the war. The atmosphere, the historical detail, the descriptions of hardship and small joys, will stay with me for a very long time.

In a Norwegian fishing village in 1944 Anni’s existence revolves around keeping her six year old daughter Ingrid warm, fed and happy. In an occupied country, that in itself is far from simple, but their life becomes even more complicated when a German administrator, Hugo Kerber, is billeted with them. Anni’s mother-in-law is concerned he’s been sent to spy on them, as they are both involved with the resistance, which raises the stakes considerably.

Soon after the war Ingrid moves to London to live with her father and his new wife, but she still yearns to find the mother who disappeared. In truth I found her fragmented life less gripping than Anni’s intense story, which plays out over just a few months, but I also appreciate it had to be told that way.

I love historical fiction where I learn something new, and the suffering of the Norwegian people under occupation – and at the hands of their own governments in the 1940s – opened my eyes. But more than anything it was Anni’s story that pulled me in; rich in the telling, perfectly tensioned, and it gripped me to the end.

I really really enjoyed this. I didn’t reliase how tough Norway had it during the war. This book shows it all but also how quickly the tide can turn! Sobbed through so many parts! Highly recommend

I'm tearing up again just writing the review

The Silent Resistance is a heartbreaking and poignant tale set against the backdrop of World War II and its aftermath. Following the story of Anni, a Norwegian woman dedicated to the resistance, and her daughter Ingrid, this novel captures the devastation war brings not only to nations but also to families.

The relationship between Anni and Ingrid is truly the heart of this story, their bond is portrayed with such tenderness and love. Watching them navigate the horrors of occupation—doing everything in their power to survive, yet facing circumstances far beyond their control—was gut-wrenching. Anni’s desperation to shield her daughter from the dangers of war and Ingrid’s later search for the truth about her mother had me emotionally invested.

When a Nazi civilian is billeted at her home, Anni is faced with an impossible choice. Despite her dedication to the resistance and her role in saving countless lives, Anni finds herself falling in love with the enemy. The consequences of this relationship are harsh, as the Norwegian government prosecutes women like her with shocking severity. I had no idea the extent of these punishments, and it was heartbreaking to see how her own country turned its back on her, even after all the sacrifices she had made.

Ingrid’s journey, in particular, left a lasting impact on me. Her struggle to uncover what happened to her mother, years after the war ended, was filled with so many frustrating and heartbreaking obstacles. Her pain was palpable, and I couldn’t help but feel the weight of her loss and determination. This book had me in tears by the end.

The Silent Resistance shines a light on the human cost of war, especially for civilians, and how it can tear even the closest families apart. It also highlights the moral complexities of survival, and how even those who risked everything for their country could be persecuted for the choices they made. This is a beautiful, bittersweet story of a mother’s fierce love for her child, and the lengths she’ll go to protect her. It’s a book that will stay with me for a long time.

Thank you NetGalley and Allison & Busby for this ARC. All opinions are my own.