Human Voices is set during the height of the Blitz in 1940. The Blitz was the period in the United Kingdom (but primarily in London, which was the hardest hit) when the Nazi German Air Force, bombed the country and its citizens every night with different kinds of bombs, each of which devastated the country in one way or another. Ultimately, the people of the United Kingdom were left defenseless against the onslaught of German aircraft.
Fitzgerald's novel follows the lives of a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) employee named Seymour (Sam) Brooks, who works hard with his colleagues to get the news on the airwaves each night so the British people can remain informed about the events of the war. Unlike other wartime media entities, however, the BBC has decided that they will not obscure anything about the war to the British people. But the BBC's employees must do their jobs while contending with personal difficulties and the difficulties caused by the seemingly constant bombings by the Germans.
There is a battle for control of the BBC and its reporting by two program directors—one of whom is the aforementioned Sam. Sam is efficient and technically brilliant at his job, but has trouble dealing with the politics and bureaucracy of the BBC. As a result, he surrounds himself with women called recorded program assistants (RPAs) as a way to insulate himself from any potential challenges with his employer.
One day, one of the RPAs that Sam recently hired, named Lise Bernard, leaves her position soon after being hired so that she can find her French boyfriend, Jeff, who is a soldier. After Lise's departure, the BBC's management decides that Sam can no longer be responsible for hiring his RPAs (or anyone, for that matter). Management then decides to hire Annie Asra, a 17-year-old orphan, as Lise's replacement. Shortly after starting, Annie quickly impresses Sam when she recognizes that a singer that Sam has employed was slightly flat in their tone, something which Sam didn't recognize despite spending so much time with them.
After Sam takes Annie and the rest of the RPAs out to an expensive dinner at a luxurious French restaurant, Annie realizes that, against all odds and despite knowing him for not much time, she has fallen in love with Sam. At the same time, Lise decides to contact one of her former colleagues and asks them if she could sleep at the BBC for a few days. Lise, as it turns out when she arrives at the BBC, is pregnant, and one of her colleagues transports her to the local hospital once she goes into labor.
Meanwhile, bombs start to reign down on the offices of the BBC. Fearing that she and her coworkers will die, Annie goes into Sam's office and professes her love for him. Once safe, the two leave their office and go to a cafe. Sam resigns from the BBC (as does his boss of many years) but is killed by an umbrella bomb that never exploded which was laying on his car.
Human Voices was inspired by Fitzgerald's own time at the BBC. It was also influenced by historical events, given its setting during World War II. It not only honors history, Fitzgerald's novel respects and honors those who lived through World War II and the Blitz. Ultimately, it is a revenant novel for those who suffered in World War II and all of the wars in human history.
As with most other works of fiction, Human Voices is meant to entertain its readers. And entertain it does. Though the novel is a compelling and interesting read, it is also a complex novel that explores countless themes. The novel explores themes related to the devastating effects of war, love, friendship, family, death, companionship, and loneliness during hard times.
