The Sound of Light; released in February. I bought it immediately but didn’t get a chance to dive into it until recently when I listened to the audiobook on the long drive between Canberra and Sydney. At one point, I missed my turn off the highway because I was so gripped by the story. I wasn’t remotely inconvenienced by 30 extra minutes of listening time!
The Sound of Light by Sarah Sundin
The Sound of Light is set in World War II Denmark. In the opening pages, as the Germans invade Denmark, our hero Baron Henrik Ahlfeldt has to make a desperate choice. Does he flee to Sweden? Or does he go into hiding, concealing his aristocratic identity so he can put his skills as an Olympic rower to use, couriering information across the sound between Sweden and Denmark? The action quickly moves to 1943 where we meet Dr Else Jensen, a Danish-American physicist working at the Institute headed by Niels Bohr (a real life character Sundin worked into her story). While Else makes her own choices that defy the Nazis, she is unaware that her quiet, seemingly uneducated neighbour at her boarding house, Hemming Anderson, is actually Henrik. In the intervening years, he has become known as the Hauman (The Merman) for his critical resistance work. The romance unfolds achingly slowly as these two characters come to know, understand and then love each other with all the secrets and complications that working with the resistance naturally throws up.
Memorable protagonists
Henrik and Else are strong, compelling leads. I thought about them long after I had finished the book. I loved Henrik’s complexity, his nobility, and the delicate way their love developed. I loved that Else was a physicist (Women in STEM for the win!) and Sundin’s portrayal of a woman in the male-dominated world of science felt authentic.
An atmospheric Danish setting
WWII Denmark is not a setting I know much about, but Sundin makes it come to life to the extent that I now feel like I’ve travelled there. As always, her author’s note at the end sheds light on the facts behind the fiction. I was interested to learn that, though occupied by the Nazis, the Danish people at first enjoyed freedoms that other occupied nations didn’t. Of course, that didn’t last but as the events of the story unfolded, I was moved by the courage of the Danish people who rose up to protect their Jewish communities.
Gritty reality
As I often mention in my reviews, life is harrowing and I don’t need my reading to be. But that doesn’t mean I want my reading to be all rainbows and unicorns! I appreciate Sundin’s deft hand when writing the grittier elements of this story (spoiler: the hero is tortured), so that they never dwell in depravity. Instead they add to the journey of the character and ultimately add depth to the romance.
Hi Jen, This book is in my tbr wish list. Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us. 😊