The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall sat for some time on my Kindle before I read it. It’s a World War Two story, a period which fascinates me, so why did I delay? On reflection I think it was because the story of Audrey James is inspired by historical fact. I’ve been disappointed in the past by novels where a fictional story is unexplored because the author sticks too close to the truth. I needn’t have worried. Audrey James is based on a real woman but Audrey herself is fictional. Marshall uses the truth as inspiration to creative a novel that’s impossible to put down. I read this, at times harrowing, novel quickly. It is told in two timelines, Germany in 1938-1945 and Alnwick, England 2010. In 1945 at the end of the war, a troop of Canadian soldiers have just liberated a Dutch village. As they play cards, they notice a bedraggled woman walking towards them, her dress is torn, she is missing a shoe. This is Audrey James and this is the story of her war and her role in the German resistance which fought against Hitler.
In pre-war Berlin, British teenage pianist Audrey is living with her German friend Ilse Kaplan while she studies at the conservatory. On one day, their world changes. Ilse’s family are arrested and the house is requisitioned by two Nazi officers. Without anywhere else to go and no money, the two girls must react quickly. Ilse, who is Jewish, hides in the attic while Audrey becomes housekeeper for the two men. As war approaches, Audrey’s father in England writes telling her to come home. But Audrey is unable to leave Ilse despite being in danger herself.
In London in 2010, Kate Mercer is packing up her possessions. She and her husband are divorcing and, after the recent loss of her parents, Kate is seeking a new start. Drawn to a hotel in the North of England where her parents went on honeymoon, Kate puts the dog in the car and drives to Alnwick. She has a new job, as assistant administrator at the Oakwood Hotel. Very quickly Kate knows she’s made a mistake. The elderly owner of the hotel is grumpy, unwelcoming and very old. The two women are alone in the house during winter, both are secretive and defensive. Why does Kate feel guilty? And who is her elderly employer?
The twists and turns of this story are unpredictable and that’s what kept me reading. Audrey is prepared to do anything to keep Ilse safe. When she has the opportunity to join the Red Orchestra, a resistance group, she doesn’t hesitate. Her bravery is breathtaking. Audrey’s story is told in two phases, woven into Kate’s modern-day life. There are universal themes of love and loss, forgiveness and survival, both during wartime and many decades after.
This is a fascinating portrayal of the role of women in wartime, their bravery, ingenuity and determination. Canadian writer Marshall also writes about the strength of women in her previous novel Looking for Jane, which is now added to my To-Read list.
Excellent.

If you like this, try:-
‘The Collaborator’s Daughter’ by Eva Glyn
‘Homeland’ by Clare Francis
‘The Last Lifeboat’ by Hazel Gaynor

And if you’d like to tweet a link to THIS post, here’s my suggested tweet:
#BookReview THE SECRET HISTORY OF AUDREY JAMES by Heather Marshall https://wp.me/p2ZHJe-8pv via @SandraDanby

COMING SOON… THE NEXT BOOK I REVIEW WILL BE:-