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Summary
Summary
In a breathless, haunting, and rich historical mystery, New York Times bestselling author Monica Hesse speaks to the depths of trauma and the power of memory.
Seven months ago, Edda was on the World War I front lines as one of two hundred "Hello Girls," female switchboard operators employed by the US Army. She spent her nights memorizing secret connection codes to stay ahead of spying enemies, and her days connecting vital calls between platoons and bases and generals, all trying to survive-and win-a brutal war. Their lives were in Edda's hands, and one day, in fateful seconds, everything went wrong.
Now, Edda is back in Washington, DC, working as an American Bell Telephone operator, the picture of respectability. But when her shift ends, Edda is barely hanging on, desperate to forget the circumstances that cut her time overseas short. When Edda receives a panicked phone call from someone who utters the fateful code word "Brightwood," she has no choice but to confront her past. With precious few clues and help only from Theo, a young man bearing his own WWI scars, Edda races to uncover what secrets may have followed her across the ocean.
Timely and unforgettable, The Brightwood Code sheds light on hidden history and the brutality of being a woman in a war built by men.
Reviews: (2)
Publisher's Weekly Review
This gripping psychological thriller features a little-known chapter of WWI history: the story of the Hello Girls, individuals employed by the U.S. Army to operate phone lines in France. In 1918, 18-year-old Edda returns home from her station in France, haunted by a mistake she made that cost her job--and possibly others' lives. Now, she resides in her aunt's boardinghouse in Washington, D.C., and works night shifts as an American Bell Telephone operator. One night, she gets a call: "You have to tell the truth before it's too late," followed by the ominous secret code, "Brightwood." Hesse (They Went Left) skillfully portrays Edda's heightened emotional state and post-traumatic stress, as well as her urgency to untangle a mystery and resolve her guilt. As Edda gathers clues and tracks down possible callers, her sympathetic boardinghouse neighbor Theo joins her search, which adds friendship and romantic tension that brightens her solitary existence. Narrative flashbacks to the harrowing WWI battle zone, interspersed throughout Edda's richly drawn present day in D.C. and Baltimore (complete with marches for women's suffrage), tease out the mystery in this worthwhile historical novel. Characters read as white. Ages 14--up. Agent: Ginger Clark, Ginger Clark Literary. (May)
Kirkus Review
A World War I story that shines a light on a little-known group of heroic young women is the latest from noted historical fiction author Hesse. It's 1918, and 18-year-old Edda St. James works the overnight shift as an operator at Bell System's Washington, D.C., Central switchboard. The hours suit her: She can sleep the day away, trying to escape memories of her months in France. Flashbacks to her experiences near the front lines gradually disclose details of how those months shaped her. Edda shocked her Baltimore socialite parents when she applied to be a Hello Girl for the American Expeditionary Forces. She proved to be a natural in memorizing codes, connecting calls, and conversing in French. But her confidence in her abilities was swept away in a single night when, unable to remember the code, she could not put a connection through--and 34 American soldiers died. Back in the States, Edda blames herself--and when a voice on the other end of the switchboard line demands she tell the truth, she realizes that someone knows about her deadly mistake. Edda takes Theo, a fellow tenant at her aunt's boardinghouse, into her confidence, and together they try to determine what the anonymous voice wants. The large cast of characters, who are cued white, are fully developed, and the short chapters and engaging writing will have readers racing to discover the secret. A well-researched work that stands out for its explorations of guilt and trauma. (author's note) (Historical mystery. 14-18) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.