A friend recommended The Sea Before Us: A Christian Historical Romance of the World War II Navy (Sunrise at Normandy) by Sarah Sundin. I liked the navy-blue book cover, which features a picture of a Wren in the Women’s Royal Naval Service, and I enjoyed learning more about Normandy.
Sundin’s prologue caught my interest early on. I appreciated how she introduced the conflict between the brothers and the sibling rivalry, which kept me engaged throughout the story. After the prologue, Chapter 10 became my favorite because of Wyatt Paxton and Dorothy Fairfax’s interaction at the Allied Naval Expeditionary Force Headquarters in 1944.
One of my favorite characters was Dorothy’s father, Mr. Fairfax. He valued honesty and integrity highly and took a liking to Wyatt. He even called Wyatt “son,” after losing a few of his own boys. Throughout the story, Wyatt and Dorothy faced moral dilemmas. I found these conflicts compelling and realistic. Wyatt couldn’t forgive himself for a past mistake, which Dorothy reminded him was an accident and something God had already forgiven him for. Likewise, Dorothy struggled to be true to herself and to risk someone loving her unconditionally—something she believed only God could do, as He creates and loves her for who she is, freckles and all.
Sundin excels at writing Christian dialogue and using narrative eloquently throughout the book. By Chapter 10, I couldn’t stop listening. I was captivated and eager to learn more about Operation Neptune, Normandy’s maps and landmarks, bombing targets, and what would happen to Wyatt and Dorothy.
If you enjoyed The Sea Before Us: A Christian Historical Romance of the World War II Navy (Sunrise at Normandy), you might also like The Women, The Nightingale, and Home Front by Kristin Hannah. Other excellent World War II historical novels include David Baldacci’s Strangers in Time, Lynn Austin’s Chasing Shadows and her equally moving novel, If I Were You, John Boyne’s All the Broken Places: A Novel, and Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place.
