Book Review: "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" by Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows

By Carlotta G. Holton

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Dial Press Trade Paperback, 2009)By Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows

The hardships of war and its aftermath seem an unlikely topic for a feel good book, yet Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows’ novel is just that. Readers will enjoy the colorful and sometimes tragic stories and loveable and quirky characters who not only survive, but who cleverly manage to culturally thrive amidst the German occupation of the Channel Islands in 1946. This delightful and poignant book is as much for bibliophiles as it is an homage to the ingenuity and fortitude of survivors of war. For it is the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society which, as good books should, uplifts their spirits in a time of turmoil.

The story begins when Guernsey pig farmer Dawsey Adams finds London writer Juliet Ashton’s name in a used book and a correspondence between the two ensues. What follows is a series of letters from Dawsey’s neighbors that cover a nine month post World War II period. Juliet is assigned to write a piece for the London Times’ literary magazine which after her visit to the island, will culminate in a book. While such an epistle-like - delivery might be bogged down or boring, the authors do a remarkable job of inserting humor and insight into the easily flowing text.

The cold realities of war and rationing are treated with sensitivity and while somber are never to the point of being maudlin. Desperate times calling for desperate measures, a small group of islanders resort to deceit and intrigue which inadvertently forges valuable friendships and an equally valued book club. During the Nazi occupation these pig farmers have had their pigs commandeered. After six months of eating a monotonous diet of potatoes and turnips, their collective minds focused on the pigs. To everyone’s delight, Marguerite Amelia hid a pig and held a feast in her house, inviting the various people who would then be united in a lie to cover their deed. When caught in the act of leaving the dinner, Elizabeth, one of the diners, told the Germans they had been discussing a book of Elizabeth and German Gardens. The society was born out of necessity, but grew into something each savored as much as the recipe for Potato Peel Pie served at their meetings.

We are reminded of the sacrifices of all touched by war. There is loss of life and loss of the good things in life. Amelia recalls, “My greatest pleasure has been walking. The Channel is no longer framed in rolls of barb wire, the view is unbroken by huge Verboten signs, the mines are gone from the beaches and I can walk where and as long as I like.”

The odd assemblage of persons that is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society unite in their resistance to the Germans and their dedication to the book club meetings. Even the criticism of local gossip Adeline Addison, cannot dissuade them. The group comes to mean something special for each of its members. For example, Clara Saussey, who describes her writing as Poetry in a Pan, belonged to the group. “I never would have touched a book if not for the occupation.”

As a writer, Juliet is invested in books and that love is translated into one of this books themes. In one of her letters she says, “Books sellers are a special breed. The profit they make is so small that it must be for the love of readers and reads along with the first dibs on new books that make them do it.”

The novel is equally spiced with humor and surprises like a chance encounter with the notorious Oscar Wilde. There are equally touching moments such as when the men of the group use a pig carcass combined with cinnamon and paprika to create round soaps, a treat for the ladies of the group.

Anyone who is or has been a member of a book club knows the eclectic personas that make up its membership. The common ingredient that adds flavor to the pot is their shared love of books. I strongly encourage book clubs to try a slice of this literary pie, for it affirms the power of friendship, survival and through reading, the power to nourish body and soul.