Review by K.C. Finn for Readers’ Favorite

Deeply With The Sun In Our Eyes: Sacrifice, Treachery and Valour in the Shadow of Britain’s Greatest Military Defeat is a work of fiction in the historical, military, and true to life sub-genres, and was penned by author A. C. Smith. Written for adult reading audiences, there is some content regarding rape that readers may find triggering.

Set during the Second World War, this intense and gritty novel follows the little-known story of the events surrounding the fall of Singapore. Our central protagonist is Australian engineer Richard, who misses his ship and finds himself stranded in the company of an English doctor and her husband, frantically racing to board the last ship out before terror arrives.

Author A. C. Smith offers both an emotive and educational look at a lesser-known area of military history, and one which will be sure to have historical fiction fans gripped from cover to cover. One of the things which I enjoyed most about the novel was the interplay between Greda, Richard, and Edward, which forms its own complex and emotional story within the tensions of war and the impending assault.

There are certainly some brutal and graphic moments, ones that illuminate the true horror of war with highly descriptive accuracy, and overall the story has a desperate, high-octane feeling that kept me hooked in. I also felt the attention to cultural variance and behavior of the different characters was intelligently done and never stereotyped.

Overall, I would definitely recommend Deeply With The Sun In Our Eyes to WW2 historical fiction fans everywhere.