Shelter: One of the year's hottest debuts

(Paperback)

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Description

Led here by necessity, she knows she cannot stay. Brought against his will, he never wants to leave.

Early spring 1944. Connie Granger has escaped her bombed-out city home, finding refuge in the Women's Timber Corps. For her, this remote community must now serve a secret purpose.

Seppe, an Italian prisoner of war, is haunted by his memories. In the forest camp, he finds a strange kind of freedom.

Their meeting signals new beginnings. But as they are drawn together, the world outside their forest haven is being torn apart. Old certainties are crumbling, and both must now make a life-defining choice.

What price will they pay for freedom What will they fight to protect

A captivating and tender novel about love, hope and how we find solace in the most troubled times.

Reviews

Its characters pulse with life and energy - Connie's contrary longings and Seppe's difficult journey to inner peace are vividly rendered, as is the evocation of the forest and its healing qualities * Daily Mail *
This beautifully crafted tale of survival and solace reveals that you can find a home in the most unusual places * Sunday Express *
The wartime lives of both Italian POWs and the lumberjills have received surprisingly little cultural attention over the years; in Franklin's tender, moving debut novel, with its unforgettable heroine, those experiences get the loving attention they deserve. * The Irish Times *
A mesmerising wartime story about identity * The Irish Examiner *
An accomplished debut from Sarah Franklin, Shelter is the perfect read for those who enjoy historical fiction with humour, warmth and a real sense of place * Daily Record *

Author Bio

Sarah Franklin grew up in rural Gloucestershire and has lived in Austria, Germany, the USA and Ireland. She lectures in publishing at Oxford Brookes University and has written for the Guardian, Psychologies magazine, The Pool, the Sunday Express and the Seattle Times. Sarah is the founder and host of Short Stories Aloud, and a judge for the Costa Short Story Award. She lives between Oxford and London with her family.