Elise Branson is the CEO of her own PR company and newly engaged to her fiancé Hunter. She’s also the daughter of award-winning actress Gracelyn Branson. And the granddaughter of Hollywood icon Vivian Snow. Needless to say, her family name is very well-known, even if she has no interest in continuing the legacy herself. Now with a wedding to plan, her mother urges her to get married at the chapel where Vivian married her husband Tom, in Edinburgh, Indiana. Conveniently for Gracelyn, her filmmaker boyfriend Mac Dorman wants to make a documentary about the legendary matriarch who started it all. With the joyous occasion now becoming a film project, Elise reluctantly complies. And while filming, she discovers more details about her grandmother. And a shocking secret threatens to tarnish the Snow/Branson name forever. When We Were Enemies by Emily Bleeker is a dual-POV historical fiction novel that follows both Elise and Vivian during the most monumental times in their lives, and the choices they must make to save themselves.
Back in 1943, Vivian worked as a translator for the Italian POW camp near her home. As the daughter of Italian immigrants, she has become invaluable to both the camp officials and the prisoners. She also occasionally sings for the USO, providing entertainment for the soldiers stationed there. One in particular, Tom Highward, relentlessly pursues her. But when he catches wind of her camaraderie with the prisoners who share her background, a certain Antonio Trombello in particular, he shows a side of him that frightens Vivian. But by the time she sees who he really is, it’s too late to get herself out.
Meanwhile in present day, Elise, Mac, and the rest of the film crew talk to the priests that currently serve at the chapel and prepare for her premarital duties. One very handsome priest in particular, Father Patrick Kelly, leaves an impression on Elise that she can’t seem to shake. But she’s under pressure of her upcoming nuptials and is losing control over her events. And now the truth about her grandmother’s own nuptials and experiences in that very spot are bubbling to the surface. So Elise finds herself finding comfort in Father Patrick’s companionship. But life in the limelight inevitably exposes everything, and Elise now has her own crisis to handle.
Bleeker expertly weaves the women’s lives into one fascinating family history tale in When We Were Enemies. Imagine being able to follow the POV of an iconic yet deceased actress. While Elise slowly learns that what she was led to believe her whole life might not be the entire truth, readers get the treat of learning it through Vivian’s eyes. The pacing was a bit slow but it did not take away from reader engagement. I kept flipping pages, eager to find out the truth along with Elise. We know that Vivian found her way to stardom. But learning about her life as Vivian Santini, and how she nearly lost the opportunity that started it all, sparked that empathy that I can’t help but feel when a character’s story is written well.
Emily Bleeker joins the Cantina Book Club podcast. She talks about her experiences as a published author and how she brought this story to life. Keep an ear out for an upcoming episode and preorder When We Were Enemies, available December 1.
