Theme of belonging main thread in Mary Ann Shaffer’s and Annie Barrows’ The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Theme of belonging main thread in Mary Ann Shaffer’s and Annie Barrows’ The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I have to admit when I was first given The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, I was a little skeptical; what an odd name to give a book. It was not until I was half way through that I realized this book was a treasure written by two women who really had a knack for storytelling. The phrase “don’t judge a book by its cover,” really came into effect with this novel.
Shaffer and Barrows introduce us to Juliet Ashton, an accomplished writer who is trying to get her life back together immediately following World War II. Juliet can perhaps be described as being a witty author with a fiery personality that sometimes lands her in trouble; throwing a teapot at an obnoxious reporter being one such instance. However through the book, Juliet reveals herself as an individual who is in touch with all aspects of her character.
As the story unravels and we are allowed into Juliet’s life little by little, we see that even though she is a very composed and strong-willed woman, her life, just like many others, has been upended by the war; her home being demolished from a bomb. As she is attempting to put the fragile pieces of her life back together, she meets a man with whom she thinks she is in love, Markham V. Reynolds. The readers are just as smitten with him as our protagonist is and are jealous when Juliet is asked to marry him. However, we soon come to realize that Reynolds does not have a vested interest in Juliet and the infatuation thrust upon this arrogant character fades.
Through Juliet’s writing, she has touched many people and made an indelible impression among them, one person in particular. Dawsey Adams, a man who read a book that once belonged to Juliet writes a letter to her explaining how he knows of her and that he has an affinity for Charles Lamb, a famous author. Juliet and
Dawsey begin a friendship via letters and he ultimately explains the birth of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and the significance it had in each of their lives during the German Occupation. The organization came into existence one night while the group were stopped by German soldiers because they were out after curfew and Elizabeth McKenna mentioned they were members of the esteemed Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; they were reading many good books and would they [the soldiers] like to join them? Many characters are introduced to the audience including the eccentric and lovable Isola Pribby, the loving grandfather Eben and his young grandson, Eli, the matriarchal character, Amelia Maugery and through others’ testimonies, Elizabeth McKenna, perhaps the novel’s true heroine.
For this author, one specific theme stands out above the rest. Throughout the entire novel, the matter of belonging is present. Juliet tries to reestablish her life after her home is destroyed and her country is left in shambles, each member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society have a story to tell and they feel connected with Juliet; their story finally being set free; their place in a horrible time in history shared with an individual whom they may not know well yet who makes them feel like they are wanted, like they are home. Each character, displaced by war’s tragedies have found themselves on a journey; one that is able to enrich their lives by bringing an unlikely group of people together through the most effective conduit: the written word.