TITLE: UNHINGE THE UNIVERSE
AUTHORS: ALEKSANDR VOINOV & L.A.
Pages: 288
Date: 24/12/2013
Grade: 4.5
Details: Received from Riptide Publishing
Through NetGalley
Own/Kindle
The blurb:
“SS
Lieutenant Hagen Friedrichs is the sole survivor of a party sent to retrieve
his brother—and the highly sensitive information he’s carrying—from behind
enemy lines. But his daring rescue attempt fails, and Hagen
Allied command has ordered Captain John Nicholls to extract critical intelligence from their new Nazi POW. His secrets could turn the tide of the war, but are they real? John is determined to find out . . . and to shatter the prisoner who killed his lover during the attack on their tiny base. The deeper he digs, though, the more he realizes that the soldier under the SS uniform is just like him: a scared, exhausted young man who’s lost loved ones and just wants to go home.
As captor and captive form an unexpected bond, the lines quickly blur between enemy, friend, and lover. And as horrifying rumors spread from the front lines and American soldiers turn their sights on the SS for vengeance, John may beHagen
Allied command has ordered Captain John Nicholls to extract critical intelligence from their new Nazi POW. His secrets could turn the tide of the war, but are they real? John is determined to find out . . . and to shatter the prisoner who killed his lover during the attack on their tiny base. The deeper he digs, though, the more he realizes that the soldier under the SS uniform is just like him: a scared, exhausted young man who’s lost loved ones and just wants to go home.
As captor and captive form an unexpected bond, the lines quickly blur between enemy, friend, and lover. And as horrifying rumors spread from the front lines and American soldiers turn their sights on the SS for vengeance, John may be
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About 15 years ago I decided that I’d read enough books about WW II to
last me a life-time and would try to stay away from them. That was before I
read ‘The Book Thief’, before I discovered Elizabeth Wein and before I even
knew ‘Unhinge the Universe’ existed. So far, every single time I broke my vow
has been rewarded with a wonderful reading experience. I guess it is time to
admit that a good book is a good book even when it is set at a time and place
I’ve already read too many books about.
‘Unhinge the Universe’ is indeed a wonderful book for several reasons.
First and foremost this is a well written book with an intriguing,
tension-filled, sexy and captivating storyline, fascinating main characters and
a perspective I haven’t come across before.
In a story set during this war you expect the line between good and bad
to be obvious; of course the German has to be the villain and the American the
hero.
It makes a refreshing change to see the authors haven’t chosen the easy
and obvious route and have managed to create two characters who, while on
opposite sides, both have personal reasons for hating and distrusting each
other only for those reasons to slip into the background and the attraction
between the two of them to take over.
I loved how what started as a game to get the upper hand over the other
man slowly turned into a connection that both John and Hagen found impossible
to ignore despite the obvious dangers involved. Both men start of trying to use
the other man’s homosexuality against him only to find that not only have they
given each other a potentially lethal weapon they have also discovered an
attraction that won’t be denied.
The reluctant but growing attraction between Hagen and John was a
delight to read although I have to admit that the change in their feelings
towards each other happened a bit too quickly for me. Even taking into account
the fact that they were in a war situation where ‘normal’ time-lines and
emotions don’t apply I couldn’t help feeling that both of them were able to put
their personal losses behind them a bit too easily. And there were one or two
other issues that made me raise my eyebrows because they seemed unlikely. But,
and I can’t stress this enough, it didn’t take away from my reading pleasure at
all. In fact, my ‘issues’ only surfaced after I’d finished the book and
reflected on the story. While I was reading the story and caught up in the
tension my only concern was for John and Hagen
The fact that I couldn’t imagine how a happy ending might be achieved
for these two characters made this a rather strange reading experience –
wonderful but strange. Whenever I had to put the book down for a moment I had a
very hard time picking it back up, not because I didn’t love the book, I did,
but because I was so worried about these two characters. I didn’t want to get
to the last page if it wouldn’t bring me the ending I was hoping for.
What was even more amazing was that I was having these angsty feelings
while Hagen and John didn’t. I guess
that made sense for these characters; in a war situation living in and worrying
about the moment rather than the future is probably the only way to survive.
Finding myself torn between the need to know how the story would end and being
afraid to do so, just in case the ending wouldn’t be what I was hoping for, was
exhilarating and meant that even while I wasn’t actually reading, John and
Hagen were firmly stuck in my mind. I have no doubt that they will linger there
for a while longer.
This book surprised and delighted me. An unlikely but sensual and sexy love
story in an even more unlikely setting on its own would be enough to make me a
happy reader. The fact that these authors managed to combine that love story
with a description of war that was neither glorifying it nor resorting to
stereotypes made this book a treasure. It is safe to say that Aleksandr Voinov
and L.A. Witt have found themselves another fan to add to what should, by
rights, be a multitude of admirers.
“Strange,
he thought, how it really was the same for the men on either side of this war.
It battered them all the same, broke men in one uniform as easily as the other,
and deep down, everyone just wanted it to be over. Maybe someday, it would be” – John
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