Code Name Hélène is a biographical novel about Nancy Grace Augusta Wake (1912 ~ 2011), the Australian woman who joined the French Resistance and later became a Special Operations Executive (SOE) during World War II.
She left her native country and landed in Paris in 1936, where she bluffed her way into becoming a freelance journalist for Hearst. While in Paris, she met the wealthy French industrialist Henri Fiocca. She played hard to get, but ultimately, they married and moved to Marseille, where Henri’s business was headquartered.
In 1940, Nancy convinced her husband to purchase her a truck that she used as an ambulance to transport wounded soldiers. Soon, she found herself in the French Resistance. She had a strong personality and became one of its lone female leaders. She acquired many code names, including the titled Hélène, as well as a The White Mouse, the name the Nazi’s gave her. During the War, she helped smuggle Jews out of France into Spain, she fought the Germans occupying France, and she spied for Britain.
This novel reads like a suspense novel. It is not told chronologically, so it is important to note the dates at the heading of each chapter. The story unfolds in such a remarkable manner. In the author’s afterward, we learn that most of the events and characters in the book are real and actually happened. I found I couldn’t put this book down.
