Review: Of children and war
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 15, 2014
Set in World War Two, The Only Blue Door is the story of three young children who are sent of as Children Migrants to Australia.  Due to the sheer confusion and panic in the aftermath of the bombings of London (very vividly depicted), the Smith siblings are labelled as orphans and sent off abroad, with the eldest, Maggie, feeling very responsible for her brother Billy and little sister Grace.Without revealing too much of the story, Maggie, Billy and Grace end up having to cope with a harsh and unwelcoming environment – at least initially. Billy, being a boy, is forcibly separated from his sisters, and despite not being Catholic, the Smith children end up in orphanages run by Catholic orders, and the author does not exactly portray this as a loving and caring environment, rather the reverse. The children are given but rudimentary schooling, after which it is work, work and even more work – even on Christmas Day. While not in a position to question the total lack of empathy shown by nuns and monks in this book, I find it difficult to accept that so many adults would so utterly fail their young charges – after all, most humans are geared towards being compassionate towards children, and especially small children.The portrayal of Maggie is beautifully done. A serious child who takes her role as the eldest very seriously, Maggie remains convinced their mother isn’t dead, but in an effort to help her siblings cope with their new life she goes along with the official story that their mother died in the bombings, thinking it will make it easier for Billy and Grace to adapt. Being the eldest, Maggie is the first to leave the orphanage for a new life outside,  but she is torn by worry for little Grace, so unsuited to the harsh life with the nuns, and even more for Billy, whom she hasn’t heard of in years.The Only Blue Door is well-researched, highlighting an aspect of history I had never heard of before, namely that of children sent off on their own as immigrants to Australia and other such “remote” locations (very remote back then). The story is told through a number of POVs, which in my opinion enriches the story. Now and then, the writer resorts to telling rather than showing, and at time the pace lags, especially in the first few chapters when there are a lot of descriptions regarding brewing tea on old leaves and rock cake. As the story takes off, however, pace is definitely not an issue.My main gripe is the inconclusive ending. All the ingredients for an emotional final chapter were lined up, and instead the author chose to end the book just before, thereby depriving the reader of what should have been a number of heart-pinching moments. As a consequence, the epilogue felt sort of pasted on to the end, the writer’s attempt to give some closure without really doing so. A pity on an otherwise very gripping read.