Yours is the Night - Amanda Dykes

A mysterious song in the forest...

A discovery in war-torn France...

A journey toward hope.

Matthew Petticrew’s childhood was hard, but the realities of the trenches of the Great War  bring a whole host of horrors.  One night he and two companions hear a singing voice, a sound of beauty in woods behind the lines.  Before long others hear the singing, and rumours of an ‘Angel of Argonne’ spread through the trenches. An angel who leaves wreaths on unmarked graves.

 

Mireilles grew up in the depths of the Forest but when war reaches her home it takes almost everything from her.  When Matthew and his companions find her, they begin a journey which will change them all. And perhaps, bring light into the darkness.

 

I can’t think of a suitable word to adequately describe this novel. Fabulous, wonderful, gripping and emotional all seem somehow lacking.  It’s a book which deals with loss, love, transformation, sacrifice, courage and faith.  Each character has their own issues and failings and must overcome their own challenges.  Faith is wonderfully integrated throughout as a ‘theology of life’  learned in the fields, gardens and stables of the USA and on the battlefields and roads of France and Belgium.  

 

Amanda Dykes’ books are wonderfully written and powerful and this is the best yet. It deepens and becomes richer and more immersive as the story progresses.

Written to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the interment of the Unknown in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia on November 11, 1921, this is a fitting tribute.

  

Amanda, thank you so, so much for writing this novel.  I truly hope it reaches an enormous readership, and it absolutely deserves to win every writing prize there is.

"what if what we believe to be our shortcomings, our oddities, are actually purposeful quirks that suit us for the moments we were made for?"

Oh, and whoever commissioned and designed the cover, it is absolutely beautiful and perfect.

To read an extract, click here: Yours is the Night - Extract

9780764232688, Bethany House, Sep21 (UK)