Shortlisted in the NZSA New Zealand Heritage Literary Awards 2021 and the NZ Booklovers Awards 2023.
Wellington, 1939. A hot summer’s day at a church picnic. Adelaide watches as a girl is rescued from the river and resolves to meet the unassuming hero of the moment. After a claustrophobic, strict childhood, John Brunner is Adelaide’s chance for a new beginning. But trouble in Europe is brewing and Adelaide’s delight in her new married life is overshadowed by the declaration of war. John’s sense of duty sees him enlist and he sails for Egypt. When John’s first letter arrives, a foreign, exotic world is brought to life. His letters become Adelaide’s obsession, his words carrying her through the days, turning her house from marital home to a literary shrine of love and longing. Until the letters stop coming.
Barefoot is a moving, evocative story of two people in love: one stranded in the new reality of the local war effort, the other in the stifling deserts and desolate battlegrounds of far-off lands; lands where danger is always just around the corner and death can snatch you in the blink of an eye.
Karen McMillan writes in Booklovers NZ, ‘Barefoot is eloquently written, and it’s such a touching love story. It’s an understated story, but it perfectly captures World War II’s era and the tender, raw emotions of a newly married couple forced apart by war. I thought this was a superb read, and I hope that the author will have another book out soon – she is a very talented writer’.
Listen to Lynn Freeman on RNZ talk about Barefoot as one of her book picks of 2022.
