In this historic novel, we are introduced to twin sisters, Peggy and Maude. Orphaned and working at a bookbindery, both girls learn how to survive during the effects of WWI. This takes them on a journey of self discovery and what it means to be your own person, when all you’ve known is each other.

This novel is getting filed under, something that I will never forget. As someone who hasn’t been all that interested in history as a whole (I was trained to learn history by repeating notes out and memorising dates) this taught me so much. For sure, it is only from a very unique perspective, that of book bindery girls during the war. But this intimate exploration of how women in war contribute to keeping society progressing from their invisible jobs, was insightful and poignant.

It is also one of the only books (if not the only book) I’ve read where a main character with a mental disability is shown as the one who can do without the other. Maude develops a romance of her own without having to be ‘match made’, is the most skilled worker in her position, and the most emotionally in tune with herself and others.

If you love historical novels please look at picking this one up. The writing, the message, the characters… all of it touches your heart strings in a memorable way. There are plenty of triggers, of course; death, injury, plague, child death, loss of loved ones, graveyard settings, PTSD, bad nightmares, implied rape/sexual assault. There are no overly explicit sexual scenes but this is definitely a book with mature themes, so for an older audience for sure.