The War That Saved My Life

Susan shows Ada how to write her own name, but she doesn’t press the issue and leaves Ada to try it again on her own later. Ada resists asking for help, though, and is unable to read a letter she receives from Margaret. Jamie can’t read the loopy handwriting, and Ada refuses to ask Susan for help. She asks Grimes instead, and he informs her that Margaret’s letter expresses her interest in riding together when she visits home for Christmas. Ada asserts that she’s not likely to still be here at Christmas: “The war will be over by then [...] Mam’ll send for us” (182). Ada resists the idea that her life in the village could be anything more than temporary and tries to think about the good parts of her life back in London, triggering fond memories of Mam and Jamie. Ada wants Mam to be more like Susan, but she doesn’t trust Susan entirely just yet. 

Dr. Graham declares Jamie and Ada to be “the picture of health” (185) at their follow-up exam. Jamie is two inches taller, Ada is three inches taller, and both have gained healthy weight. Surgery is necessary to fix Ada’s foot, though, and