When We Had Wings

Hands down, When We Had Wings is the best WWII novel I have read this year. Based on the real-life experiences of the Angels of Bataan, this book is both heartbreaking and inspiring. Though certainly a story of war, it's foremost a story about friendship, self-discovery, and the capacity of love humans can have for each other in a time of turmoil.

Starting off in Manila pre-the attack on Pearl Harbor, we follow Penny, Eleanor, and Lita, three nurses who form a bond early in their assignments. At first, their stay almost feels like a vacation. Their work is light and Lita, local to the area, gets the opportunity to play tour guide. However, after the attack, things change drastically, eventually leading to new assignments that force the friends to part ways. When Japan turns its hostility toward the Philippines, it's only a matter of time before the three women find themselves in various internment camps. They have to do whatever they can to survive all the while worrying and wondering where the others have ended up.

Along with Penny, Lita, and Eleanor, there are several equally as wonderful supporting characters; friends, colleagues, priests, children, love interests... confined in prisons with captors who have no regard for international human rights laws, we get countless glimpses of people banding together to help one another survive. 

All three of the storylines were a delight to read and flowed together nicely with each other. The pacing was on the slower side but immersive. There were some points in the book where it took me a few minutes to realize I was crying because I was so engrossed in the story and was surrounded by it in my mind. Kudos to all three of the authors! Another kudos to Saskia Maarleveld for her marvelous narration of the audiobook.

Thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for providing a free audio ARC to read and review!