REVIEW: Claire Corbett’s ‘Watch Over Me’
Watch Over Me
Claire Corbett
Watching goes both ways… They watch for control, for survival, for pleasure. We watch for survival, for fear, for love. A contemporary thriller of rebellion and surrender, love and war.
It is the present day. The foggy northern city of Port Angelsund is under occupation by the soldiers of Garrison. Sylvie is a young woman just trying to survive. When she is singled out for punishment at a Garrison checkpoint, a young lieutenant rescues her from torture. Though she knows the terrible risks of collaboration, she cannot stop herself from falling in love. Watched by Garrison’s vast machinery of surveillance, Sylvie discovers she is also under the protective and suspicious gaze of her lover.
When her older brother returns on a terrorist mission that will throw the city into chaos, Sylvie’s loyalties are tested beyond breaking point. Her deep bond with her brother and her illicit passion for her Garrison officer are loves that cannot coexist. Whatever she does is betrayal.
In the spirit of Hiroshima Mon Amour and Suite Francaise, this sensual and heart-breaking novel brings the classic conflicts of war and occupation, devotion and treachery, up to the present minute. While the unimaginable power of modern warfare advances, Watch Over Me reminds us that the things at stake-survival, refuge and love-remain the things worth fighting for.
AusRom Today review:
An intriguing and compelling story with a distinct dystopian feel despite having a modern day setting. This concept alone challenges your thoughts about the happenings and complexities of the character’s world, the characters themselves, and the psychology involved in war in a very tactile way which for me was possibly the most enjoyable aspect of the novel.
The love story is a strong theme throughout, and Corbett presents this in a highly passionate and endearing manner which indeed is not without conflict nor heartbreak as you’d expect within the confines of this particular story.
Overall, Watch Over Me, is a captivating and gripping read that will challenge and delight readers. This is a story that will stay with me for quite some time. Exceptional theme, meticulous research, and brilliant writing from Claire Corbett.
AusRomToday 
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