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‘The Little Wartime Library’ tells riveting tale about London’s underground shelter library

Review by Tina, Library Specialist
Book by Kate Thompson

From the beginning, I was hooked on The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson. Set in Bethnal Green in the East End of London in 1944, I found the author’s writing style to be engaging, and she wove so many historical facts into the plot that I came to believe that the characters could be real people.

The main character, Clara Button, is a 25-year-old war widow, who is the Bethnal Green branch librarian. Her recent life history has been traumatic, and she has been pressured by her mother and mother-in-law, among others. Clara’s main support system centers around her best friend, “Ruby Red Lips” Munroe, who has had to deal with her own tragic life events. Together, they support and bring out the best in each other, while providing library services to the most vulnerable people, during an unprecedented time of upheaval.

Everywhere they turn, Clara and Ruby witness events that would break the average person, yet they, and the citizens of Bethnal Green, carry on by showing remarkable resilience, even down to the housewives cleaning and mopping their front steps, amidst bombings, just to put their best feet forward. Time and again, East Enders, as they’re known, provide help, food, first aid, and support to each other, stepping out from their own circumstances to help others.

The Bethnal Green Underground Shelter Library is located in the Bethnal Green Tube in the heart of London. The Tube is 78 feet below ground, at an unfinished stop on the Central Line. Fortunately, for the East Enders, World War II brought a halt to its completion. So it sat, boarded up and incomplete, for a year, until after the first week of the Blitz, in 1940.

The Central Library in Bethnal Green was one of the Blitz’s casualties, along with the library director, Peter Hinton, and the library was left without a home. The next week, the people of Bethnal Green decided to take shelter in the Tube. They converted the unused, unfinished stop into a safe haven.

When they were finished, their refuge consisted of metal stacking cots that could sleep up to 5,000 people; a café; a nursery; a 1st aid post, with nurses’ and doctors’ quarters; a travelling Tube hair dresser; a 300-seat theatre; a horror room; and the Bethnal Green Underground Shelter Library. (The only Tube shelter library in England.) They also had Elsan Lavatories/toilets, for their necessary bathroom needs. It may not have been fancy, and the odor could be pungent, but it was a safe retreat away from the bombings.

At the time that Kate Thompson’s novel takes place, the Bethnal Green Underground Shelter is a well-oiled machine. It is run by a shelter committee, with Mr. Miller as shelter manager, Mrs. Chumbley as deputy shelter manager, and 12 full-time wardens. Clara is being presented with a Reading for Victory certification of excellence award. She is introduced to Minister Rupert Montague, Director of Home Publicity at the Ministry of Information, and Mr. Pinkerton- Smythe, the new Chair of the Library Committee, and Clara’s new boss. Minister Montague is an obvious fan of Clara and her library, while Mr. Pinkerton-Smythe is an equally obvious antagonist of Clara, her library, and her patrons.

Throughout the novel, Clara is forced to deal with Pinkerton-Smythe’s considerable attempts to undermine her, belittle her, and fire her while, at the same time, deal with tragic events unfolding during a world war. Clara must also deal with the effects of the war on the people she loves, and to find ways to help them to keep moving forward with their lives. She is truly a selfless person, and her efforts do not go unnoticed by the people around her. Their lives are made better by Clara and her friends, and they persevere, in spite of a number of catastrophic events that take place in the months leading up to the end of World War II.

The Little Wartime Library also touches on an event that took place in March of 1943, when 173 people lost their lives in one night, in the Bethnal Green Tube. The accident left many wounded, physically and psychologically, and the scars left behind took many years, if not forever, to heal. Clara’s friend, Ruby, is especially haunted by the crush in the Tube, and it shapes the way she views and interacts with the world around her.

Many children are involved in the storyline of The Little Wartime Library. The children living in the Tube are affectionately called “Tube rats,” and they bring a well-rounded aspect to the reader’s understanding of what life must have been like for people living in the midst of World War II London. Mr. Pinkerton-Smythe viewed the Tube rats as coarse, uneducated, and weak- minded. However, they are anything but. Their hearts are pure gold, and they possess a wisdom far beyond their years, knowing that, at any moment their lives, or the life of a loved one, could end. Some of the most poignant moments in the novel come about when the Tube rats are involved.

Perhaps the most profound effect Clara and Ruby had on the Bethnal Green East Enders, was to help the women find a voice, and to stand up for themselves. Bookworm girls, girls and women who loved reading were considered oddities and troublemakers and, as Mr. Pinkerton-Smythe put it, coming from “a lower mental stratum.” He felt that it was the library’s job to raise women’s reading standards and to not “allow” them to read whatever they wanted to. Clara and Ruby made it their mission to keep women informed, by making informative pamphlets and books available to them, allowing the women to make their own decisions and life choices. When several women left abusive or loveless relationships, Clara and Ruby were accused of leading them astray. However, the women of Bethnal Green encouraged Clara and Ruby to continue their work.

Clara finds love again, in the form of Billy Clark. Early on, he saves Clara from an assault, and every time she is in danger, Billy seems to be close by to save her. There is an almost-instant chemistry between Billy and Clara, but they both have secrets that need to be revealed before they can move forward with their relationship. The Little Wartime Library comes to an end shortly after World War II ends, with some unexpected conclusions. In a true reflection of life, there are last-minute twists and turns, but the book finishes on a positive note, and is well worth the journey.

I would suggest reading all the way to the last page of this book, as the author has included some wonderful information regarding the true story of Bethnal Green and the Bethnal Green Underground Shelter Library. There are also websites that the reader can go to, to access more information about the historical events written about in this novel.

The Little Wartime Library by Kate Thompson is a wonderful book that draws the reader in from the first page to the last. It is well worth the time and effort to read it.