by Cesca Major
First published 2015
Adeline cannot speak, but the convent walls shelter her from memories that refuse to stay buried. In the same French village, Sebastian works as a banker, his Jewish identity growing more dangerous as war spreads across Europe. His love for Isabelle will force him into choices that reshape his entire existence. Meanwhile, nine-year-old Tristin arrives with his family from Paris, seeking safety in this quiet place that seems removed from the conflict consuming France. The village appears untouched by war, but that illusion cannot last. As German forces advance and the occupation tightens its grip, these three people find their fates intertwined in ways none of them expected. Adeline must confront the past that stole her voice. Sebastian faces impossible decisions about love and survival. Tristin watches his childhood world transform into something unrecognizable. Based on true events, their stories reveal how war strips away everything familiar, leaving only the raw human capacity for both devastating loss and unexpected connection.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: France, Paris
Period: World War II
320 pages · Paperback · Corvus
Content warnings: violence, war