Tory Pace embodies everything distinctly English: quirky, reserved, yet unbreakably resilient. As war erupts across Britain, she faces an impossible task that defines motherhood itself. Her family needs sustenance in a nation stripped bare of nourishment. Tory struggles against scarcity with fierce determination, doing whatever survival demands of her. The war ends, but hardship persists through the lean austerity years that follow. She discovers that triumph over adversity extracts its own brutal cost. Woodward crafts a sprawling family chronicle that spans these transformative decades. Tory's journey weaves together moments of sharp comedy and deep sorrow. Her story captures the peculiar charm and stubborn strength that carried English families through their darkest period. This black comedy reveals how we devour ourselves and those closest to us in the name of love and survival.
Genres: fiction, family, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, resilience
Setting: Britain, England
Period: World War II, Austerity Years
352 pages · Kindle Edition · Picador
Content warnings: war