No Better Time: A Novel of the Spirited Women of the 6888 Central Postal Directory Battalion

The unfocused latest from Williams (Things Past Telling) follows a battalion of Black Women’s Army Corps members during WWII. Dorothy Thom is a librarian at Spelman College when she hears President Roosevelt’s “Day of Infamy” speech following the attack on Pearl Harbor. In February 1943, with the president’s words still reverberating, she joins the WAC in search of adventure. Meanwhile, in Dayton, Ohio, single mother Leila Branch signs up for the $21 per month to support her baby. Unsure what to do with Black volunteers like Dorothy and Leila, but powerless to deny them due to recent legislation, the Army immediately furloughs them. Eventually, Dorothy, Leila, and the others are sent to Fort Riley, Kans., where the women’s officers realize their intelligence and capability. In early 1945, the women are assigned to the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion in England and France to sort through the millions of pieces of backlogged mail for soldiers—some of which go all the way back to the beginning of U.S. deployment in Europe. Throughout their time abroad, Dorothy and Leila sort letters and packages, note how much better they’re treated by Europeans than Americans, and form lifelong friendships. The book bounces perspectives among characters, even minor ones, and never settles on a conflict; as a result, readers may struggle to find their footing. Despite laying down a promising runway, this never takes off. Agent: Matt Bialer, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. (Feb.)