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Though there is an immediate focus on loss and war in this book, I believe that the overarching theme of Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows’ The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is connection. Through our lives, we become connected with people, places, ideas, and objects (although this is looked down upon, we are all guilty). These connections cause us to feel emotionally attached and invested in the doings of these people, places, ideas, and objects. If one is lost, we feel the pain because of the strength of the impact our connection to them had.

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“Have you noticed there are some people-Americans especially-who seem untouched by the war, or at least, un-mangled by it?” (60)

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“Have you noticed there are some people-Americans especially-who seem untouched by the war, or at least, un-mangled by it?” (60)

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World War II was fought mostly on the European continent, yet it managed to damage the entire world. All countries involved in the war suffered loss, some greater than others, but still loss. Every person caught in the war grew a connection to it, willingly or unwillingly. They would be forever changed by that impact in their lives. For the Europeans, almost everything was lost. Lives, Land, and their livelihood. Homes were destroyed by bombs, people died, and in even worse situations, they were enslaved. Europe was wrecked by the war, but America still suffered. The Americans, lucky to not have had to fight on their land, lost many boys and men to the battlefront. Their disconnection from the soil that endured the war allowed for them, in comparison to the Europeans, to move on from the war in an easier manner. Europeans had to almost restart their lives for all that they had worked for was in ruins or stolen.

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“Monsters or vampires have never scared me in books-but ghosts are a different matter.” (61)

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“Monsters or vampires have never scared me in books-but ghosts are a different matter.” (61)

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I have to say, I was never one to fear vampires or monsters, but talk of ghosts always shoot shivers down my spine. It is very easy to disconnect emotions when the subject you speak of, a monster in this case, has no relation to your life. Ghosts are supposed to be the human spirit of someone who has passed. A human, that lived among others and had connections with the same world that we live on. I think this is why Ghosts are very taboo. They seem too real. It is very rare that you spot a one eyed one horned flying purple people eater or someone who sucks blood, but Ghosts can come to us in our dreams. Ghosts also seem to lurk around spots that they, while alive, had deep connections with.

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“I think you learn more if you’re laughing at the same time.” (89)

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“I think you learn more if you’re laughing at the same time.” (89)

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Learning is hard, paying attention is hard, and I find it even harder when I have no interest in the subject matter. Personally, I know that once I find a connection with what I am learning I start to understand. Especially when the subject is made entertaining. This quote, written by John Booker in his first letter to Juliet uses this to describe his sentiments towards rereading the same book over and over again: Seneca. If we allow ourselves to connect with knowledge in an amusing manner, learning becomes effortless. Booker used Seneca to keep him from becoming a drunk, and humor to keep his book entertaining.

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“In any event, the picture of you lolling in the hay, reading Charles Lamb, pleased me very much. It made me recall my own childhood in Suffolk.” (108)

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“In any event, the picture of you lolling in the hay, reading Charles Lamb, pleased me very much. It made me recall my own childhood in Suffolk.” (108)

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My favorite part of conversation is when the person you are speaking to brings up a point that triggers your deepest memories. In this quote, the picture Dawsey paints for Juliet reminds her of her childhood. She feels a connection between these two moments in time that could possibly span over decades. The best conversations are the hardest to end because with every recalling memory or thought, another is there to keep you talking. To some, comparing little things others tell you to your life and your journey can seem narcissistic, but in some cases you just get over involved in the conversation. I am far to guilty of this. Making these small connections, to me, helps your relationship with that person deepen.

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“I sometimes think I prefer suitors in books rather than right in front of me. How awful, backward, cowardly, and mentally warped that will be if it turns out to be true.” (121)

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“I sometimes think I prefer suitors in books rather than right in front of me. How awful, backward, cowardly, and mentally warped that will be if it turns out to be true.” (121)

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Humans, we tend to hide our emotions as they “show weakness,” yet we still expect people to know how we are feeling. Characters in books narrate to us every little thought that crosses their mind. I think this is why Juliet, in a letter to Isola, makes this claim. The connection between a character that expresses every emotion and the reader much more profound than one two humans could have. We tend to build up walls and protect ourselves from being vulnerable. People get hurt and so do characters; however, characters tend to know their anguish in advance and can cope much better than real people. Juliet is not wrong to think this, nor is she cowardly, she is honest.

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“It’s odd, I suppose, to mourn so for someone you’ve never met. But I do. I have felt Elizabeth’s presence all along; she lingers in every room I enter, not just in the cottage, but in Amelia’s library, which she stocked with books, and Isola’s kitchen, where she stirred up potions.” (184)

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“It’s odd, I suppose, to mourn so for someone you’ve never met. But I do. I have felt Elizabeth’s presence all along; she lingers in every room I enter, not just in the cottage, but in Amelia’s library, which she stocked with books, and Isola’s kitchen, where she stirred up potions.” (184)

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Since the first mention of McKenna, we know Elizabeth was the glue that binding the society together. Her quick tongue saved not only their roast pig, but their intellectual liberation. Elizabeth brought together the story that Juliet fell in love with, it is no wonder she feels such a strong connection to her.Elizabeth, although reckless, seemed to be the spark that everyone on the island, and her labor camp, needed to distract them from reality. The way others talk about you defines who you are to others, no matter how you think of yourself, the most raw opinion is that of those around you. The island of Guernsey speaks so fondly of Elizabeth that it would be hard to dislike her nature. That is, unless you stuck to reading the letters from Miss Adelaide Addison to Juliet.

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“I feel well, though I am unusually tired-perhaps it is seeing my beloved Normandy so devastated. I will be glad to be home, my dear.” (189)

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“I feel well, though I am unusually tired-perhaps it is seeing my beloved Normandy so devastated. I will be glad to be home, my dear.” (189)

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We all seem to sometimes tie our emotions to something that we are unable to humanly control. Some trust the stars to tell them their fate of the week, while others blame the rain for their sadness. We are all connected to the Earth on a physical level, but also emotionally. Our homes are places of security. The people that you love are there and all of the objects that you've worked hard to earn lie in those walls. We feel connected to our cities and the memories created with those whom we are close to. But more pressingly, we are connected to our countries. War time, is a time of patriotism. If you have little faith in your country, you could lose your sense of home. Amelia, while returning to a grey and broken Normandy, expresses the feeling of loss she gets while just looking over the lost country.