Although the war plays a crucial role in this book, this is not a book about the war. It is a character driven story. And every chapter is told from the perspective of a different character. (Always in the third person.) I like how this gives you an insight into the minds of all of the characters and how you get to see the same event from different angles. You get to see both sides of every coin. You get to sympathize with the characters in a way that makes it almost impossible to choose sides in any conflict. The characters are well written, and you feel their emotion through all the turmoil, joy and fear of their lives. This one decision, to send their daughter to America, changed everyone's life forever and as the book spans many years you can see the repercussions of it as they grow and change. It's a beautiful. if not always happy, story. I found myself wanting to get back to the book so I could find out what happened to these people. I was completely engaged from beginning to end.