First published 2023
John lies paralyzed on a battlefield near the River Escaut in 1917, snow falling around him as memories flood back. A pub encounter by railway tracks. A warm bath shared with his lover on a cold winter evening. His boyhood by a distant shore. Three years later, John returns to North Yorkshire, his body damaged but alive. He reunites with Helena, an artist who waited for him. Together they restart his photography business as John tries to rebuild his life. But the war refuses to stay buried. Strange figures begin appearing in his photographs, spectral presences whose purpose remains unclear. These mysterious images mark the beginning of a story that follows four generations. Moments of connection ripple across decades, transforming lives in ways no one could predict. Love and loss weave together as the twentieth century unfolds, revealing how the past never truly releases its hold on the present.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: River Escaut, North Yorkshire
Period: 1917, 1920s
220 pages · Paperback · Bloomsbury Publishing
Content warnings: war