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MWSA Review
The Jossing Affair by J.L. Oakley brings the reader into a lesser-known part of World War II, the work of the Norwegian Resistance during Norway’s occupation by Germany. Readers will appreciate the depth and breadth of research which informs the 500+ page novel, and its clever use of German and Norwegian language throughout amplifies the sense of conflict between invader and defender, and the stifled humanity within the German ranks.
The story details efforts of the extensive network of men and women who undermined the occupation forces and moved supplies and people to safety. The book also brings to life the brutality of some of the German command, the deadly effect of Norwegian traitors, and the underlying conflict between serving the Reich and having compassion and morality.
Oakley provides the reader with a satisfying historical novel, filled with details about the German occupation, the Norwegian countryside, and its cities. I was particularly struck by the way the details were worked comfortably into the narrative. For instance, before a meeting between Resistance members in a church, one character reminisces briefly about a childhood visit and an important event that took place there.
Hitler had decided that the blonde and blue-eyed Norwegians were part of the master Aryan race, and should be preserved in general for breeding stock. German troops occupied the country. But with absolute power, many Germans treated its citizens with contempt and harmed them with impunity. The consequences for Resistance members who were caught were savage; Oakley does not shy away from detailing these, creating a genuine sense of danger and high stakes from start to finish. Throughout the book, we see many different forms of bravery and resistance. In a particularly chilling scene, two women volunteer themselves for rape, to protect a young girl and other townswomen from harm. The torture of patriots is also described.
The many characters were well-designed, their motivations and backgrounds slowly revealed over the course of the novel. Even minor characters had some depth, and surprising minor and major plot twists kept the novel from falling into predictability. The underlying love story mirrors the broader conflict between doing whatever is necessary in war and following gentler feelings of love, compassion, and trust.
Even after Hitler's suicide, the Germans continued to cling to Norway. We see their desperate last moves, the restraint showed by the Norwegians in arresting rather than killing German war criminals, and the resolution of the love story.
The Jossing Affair is a complex read, one which will provide the reader with a deeper understanding of the costs of war for all involved.
Review by Barb Evenson (July 2020)
Author's Synopsis
British-trained Norwegian intelligence agent Tore Haugland has enough worries when he is sent to a tiny fishing hamlet on the west coast of Norway to set up a line to receive arms and agents from England via the “Shetland Bus.” Posing as a deaf fisherman, his mission is complicated when he falls in love with Anna Fromme, the German widow of an old family friend. Accused of betraying her husband, she has a small daughter and secrets of her own. Though the Allies have liberated France and the Netherlands, the most zealous of the Nazis hang on in Norway, sending out agents to disembowel local resistance groups. If Haugland fails it could not only cost him his life, but those of the fishermen who have joined him. When Haugland is betrayed and left for dead, he will not only have to find the one who betrayed him and destroyed his network, but also prove that the one he loved was not the informer.
ISBN/ASIN: 978-0997323702, B01D8XL7PM
Book Format(s): Soft cover, Kindle
Review Genre: Fiction—Historical Fiction
Number of Pages: 546