Today, I’m delighted to welcome historical fiction author J.P. Reedman to discuss Beyond The High Mountains: A War Bride’s Tale — a moving and deeply emotional novel inspired by the true experiences of post-war brides who crossed oceans in search of love, belonging, and a new life.
BEYOND THE HIGH MOUNTAINS:
A War Bride's Tale
By J.P. Reedman
By J.P. Reedman
Publication Date: 15th May 2025
Publisher: Independently Published
Print Length: 146 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
World War II is over.
Seventeen year old Rose Groom argues with her widowed mother and the family priest about marrying a young Canadian soldier, John Dillingham. Rose eventually prevails and marries John before setting out on the Queen Mary to Canada with hundreds of other young brides. When she arrives in Halifax, to her horror she finds that John had fallen ill with tuberculosis while on his demob ship home and has been taken to Montreal. After a brief visit, she travels alone on the cross-Canada railway to be greeted by the in-laws she has never met. John's mother is cool towards her, and the problems are just beginning. Culture shock, homesickness, and then pregnancy at nineteen are only a start.
Based on a true story.
Beyond the High Mountains: A War Bride's Tale is based on a true story. What first inspired you to turn this particular family history into a novel?
'Rose' and 'John' are based on my own parents, Sheila and Courtney. My mum always said her story would make a good book or film—if anyone would believe all the things that happened to her! I have dramatised certain events and ramped up certainly personalities but all the main events and characters are real.
Rose is only seventeen when she makes the life-changing decision to leave England behind for Canada. What interested you most about exploring such a young woman’s courage and determination?
As a child, I found it hard to believe anyone could leave their mother at such a young age and go so far away. I wanted to dig deeper into the immediacy of the time, the huge movements of soldiers and their brides directly after VE day.
The novel begins just after the Second World War, a period often portrayed as hopeful and celebratory. Did you want to show a different side of the post-war experience through Rose’s story?
Yes. A lot of people do tend to glamourise that time especially in North America. I wanted to show the struggles—the misogyny, the diseases that still had few treatments, the expectations of society which you had to fulfil.
Rose faces enormous upheaval almost immediately after arriving in Canada, especially when John falls ill. How important was uncertainty and isolation as part of her emotional journey?
When John first gets TB and is unexpectedly taken to hospital just before Rose arrives from England, it is the first time she is really on her own. No mother to call, no way to contact the in-laws she'd never met. She had to forge on. I think it gave her a certainly steeliness under a soft, pliant exterior that lasted throughout her later life.
The journey across Canada by rail feels symbolic as well as physical. What did that long journey represent for Rose as a character?
The old cross Canada journey is very iconic in itself. (I'd love to do it!). Symbolically you might say it is a quiet version of 'the heroes journey'.
Culture shock and homesickness play a major role in the novel. How did you approach capturing the emotional reality faced by many real-life war brides?
My mum was not a writer or a reader, but she was a darn good storyteller. With an excellent recall for detail (I also have that latter quality). She told me as a small child how she felt in various circumstances, and how her fellow brides reacted.
Rose’s relationship with her mother-in-law appears strained from the start. What drew you to exploring family tension within the larger story of immigration and adjustment?
I think in many families there is a clash when new members join, especially if not from the same background or unsure of each other especially if they have to share a house. I've seen similar issues many times in modern relationships. At one time Lillian locked Rose out of John's bedroom—and this actually happened!
The novel deals with themes of resilience, identity and belonging. Were there particular moments in Rose’s story that you found especially emotional to write?
I think it would be the scene when the house is sold and John invited the buyers to move in before Rose had moved out. The frustration, the anger, the despair—and having no legal recourse. She just had to put up with the newcomers, who were awful, until it was time for her to go..
Because the story is rooted in real experiences, how did you balance historical accuracy with the demands of storytelling and character development?
I did do a fair amount of research on old time Canada, which I found very interesting. Stuff I didn't know and I was born there! I tried to work in the types of food popular WWII along with restaurants, shops, events and so on. I deliberately left anything political out as the story is about people rather than events.
Many readers are familiar with wartime romances, but fewer know what happened after the weddings and farewells. What do you hope readers take away from Rose’s life beyond the war itself?
There's a bit of a nostalgia wave at present, lots of talk about the 'good old days'. I hope to give a glimpse into what was often different reality, with a multitude of struggles. Struggles that they came through. We, today, must look forward to a better future, as they did.
Thank you so much, J.P. Reedman for joining us today and for sharing the inspiration behind Beyond The High Mountains: A War Bride’s Tale. It has been fascinating to hear more about the real history behind the novel, the emotional journey of Rose Groom, and the experiences of the many war brides whose stories deserve to be remembered.
Beyond The High Mountains: A War Bride’s Tale is available HERE
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J.P. Reedman
J.P. Reedman was born in Canada but has lived in the U.K. for nearly 30 years.
Interests include folklore & anthropology, prehistoric archaeology (neolithic/bronze age Europe; ritual, burial & material culture), as well as The Wars of the Roses and the rest of the medieval era.
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