Review: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

In 1943, an undercover operative working for the British is captured by Germans in nazi-occupied France. Subjected to repeated and horrible torture, she eventually agrees to tell her story — despite knowing that death awaits her regardless.

Even in the light of her capture and torment, her biggest regret remains the loss of her best friend Maddie — the girl piloting the plane that carried her here before crashing, and who comes alive in the pages of her story as she writes. Slowly, the account of how she came to be here unfolds — as well as another, deeper story; one of friendship and family, loyalty and love.

As her narrative develops, the clock is running out; but she is desperate to finish her tale, and to buy herself time, holding out hope that perhaps she may be rescued — or, at least, that she can take her captors down with her. 

I have read this book twice, and I absolutely loved it both times around. It is cleverly written and humorous, exciting and adventure-filled, gripping and heartbreaking, but also funny and heartwarming. The suspense and the depth of the story keeps you enthralled from beginning to end, and the twists and turns are wonderful. I also enjoyed the literary devices that were employed to add depth and beauty to the story; for instance, the parallels and foreshadowing that add to the heartwrenching nature of the narrative. 

The way the book is written — as a personal record by each of the main characters — is a difficult choice of narrative style, especially considering the nature of the story, but the author managed it very well, and it pulls together beautifully. In addition, the personal touch to the narrative voice only adds to the emotion. This book made me laugh and cry in turns; it had excitement, suspense, tragedy, love and everything in between, as well as several very funny moments amongst the anguish. Overall, it evoked a lot of emotions — I haven’t read a book in a long time that has made me feel that much. I also found the plot twists were very well executed. 

The writing style is superb; the situation just feels so real and palpable, despite being so unfamiliar to most readers, and you just get sucked right into the world and the character’s emotions and struggles. It is also the kind of rare book that sticks with you long after you finish it.

Though the first half of the book can feel a little confusing, in the second half it all comes together in a way that leaves you shocked and excited. It’s also the type of book that you appreciate even more the second time around, and on all consecutive re-reads.

One of my favourite parts about Code Name Verity is how it is filled with capable, multifaceted and interesting female characters, including in roles such as engineers, spies and pilots. Despite the fact that the story was a work of fiction, it still brings to life the forgotten and important roles that women played in the Second World War. In addition, I always love to read a solid female-focused book that is complete and exciting without the addition of a male love interest, of which this book is a superb example.

The book is empowering to women, but only by showing them in a realistic light, instead of as emotionless or unrealistically strong; it displayed the girls in all that they were, not as some token “strong female character”. They were portrayed as real, well-rounded, flawed but still strong and simply amazing, showing all that a female can be in a completely authentic way. The girls had their flaws and weaknesses, and they grew and developed and changed throughout thier journey as well. It was absorbing to learn everything about them, each little detail. I fell in love with the two main characters, and with several of the story’s background characters, as well. All of those populating the book were well-fleshed out, however brief their appearances, and came alive to the reader. 

The book also feels very accurate and thorough in its representation of the details and setting, which I always appreciate in a historical fiction book.

As you can probably guess, there is nothing that I can find to dislike about this particular book. As for content warnings, there are depictions and mentions of death, violence and torture, as well as several instances of bad language, but nothing inappropriate for teen readers and above. 

Overall, this is a brilliant wartime story. I would recommend it to anyone, but especially those who enjoy female-focused war stories, or spy stories set during the war.