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Update: Publication Day Today - April 30, 2019

Of the many novels and history books about World War Two, one aspect of events that is much rarer to come across is the aftermath. There must be thousands of stories about what happened after the actual fighting was winding down or finished altogether, and yet these stories are not often told or heard.

Poland, 1945 �� in a forest, a woman and her 10 year old daughter flee toward Germany, struggling to out-run their pursuers: renegades, refugees - desperate, dissolute, starving people willing to do anything to survive.

Germany, Autumn 1945 �� Graufeld Camp near Hanover �� a sanctuary for thousands of displaced persons, largely those who made it through the Russian-occupied post-war area of Germany to reach the section of Germany occupied by the British and Americans.

This is where Klara Janowska and her young daughter Alicja find a place to rest and regroup. Klara’s husband, a fighter pilot, was shot down in 1939. Klara’s father was Polish and her mother English, and like millions of others, they died in the war. It is now her strongest desire to leave mainland Europe completely and reunite with the British part of her family.

Klara finds a good friend in Hanna, whose work is in the laundry quarters. Klara also takes 3 other children under her wing and they are all involved in the black market in one way or another. It will take money to buy their way to freedom and there is no possible way to earn enough in Graufeld Camp without taking risks.

Klara is no stranger to risk, and it is when she recognizes one of the men in the Camp from the war years in Poland that she realizes she will need to take an even bigger risk: she must find a way to kill him.

This story gripped my heart and soul from the first sentences and did not let go. The writing is so excellent that I was oblivious to the reality of reading a book. The only reality was the story and the many choices and decisions that had to be made �� and acted upon �� to reach safety. For Klara has other secrets, and should those be disclosed, her future and that of her young daughter will, at best, be in serious jeopardy. At worst, they will not have a future at all.

It is nearly impossible to write about this novel objectively. Just thinking about it, I am instantly back in the story and maneuvering alongside Klara to evade danger and find safety. Fast-paced and heart-searing, this story will remain with me long into the future, and I highly recommend it to those who also believe that these stories �� as many of them as possible �� deserve to be heard.


With gratitude to Simon & Schuster Canada, Simon & Schuster UK, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this novel, and to the author, thank you Kate Furnivall. Its publication date is April 30, 2019.