It's 1943 in Yorkshire, England and Lily Baines is serving her country during World War II as a radio technician who scans the airwaves listening for German transmissions.  During a double shift, Lily hears an American transmission and is shocked by what she hears; a young Naval Petty Officer reaches out over the air for help as his ship is hit with missiles and eventually sinks. No one will believe Lily that this was a real transmission because of the year she claims this call came from - 2023…80 years into the future. Lily takes it upon herself to have a letter and a transmitter from her time delivered to the young Petty Officer in hopes that she will be able to reach out to him and stop the ship from sinking.

 

PO Matt Jackson checks into his hotel room in Yorkshire in 2021 and is greeted by a lawyer who has a package for him…a package that has been waiting for 80 years to be delivered. He takes the package to his room and sets up the old transmitter thinking that one of his friends is playing a prank on him…until he speaks to the young man over the air and she has details she could never have…the where, when, and how he dies during his tour. As they begin to talk about the details and try to discover what exactly happened they take time to get to know each other.

 

When Jackson is suddenly told his leave is over and he must report to the USS Colin Powell, he knows what he is heading for. He spends much of his time listening for the transmission change that Lily tells him she heard. Thanks to that tip Lily has changed not only Matt's life but those of his crewmates as well.

 

A short story from Kate Quinn is a huge gift. This quick 57 page read was worth the time it took to read and I loved everything about it. Quinn is a master of historical fiction and provides a background on the important roles woman played in helping defeat the Germans and win the war.