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Published Jan 2020
400 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
Publication Information
A chance discovery inside a vintage typewriter case reveals the gripping story of two sisters on opposite sides of World War II in this captivating novel for readers of Lilac Girls and The Women in the Castle.
New York, present day: On a whim, Juno Lambert buys a 1931 Underwood typewriter that once belonged to celebrated journalist Cordelia Capel. Within its case she discovers an unfinished novel, igniting a transatlantic journey to fill the gaps in the story of Cordelia and her sister and the secret that lies between them.
Europe, 1936: Cordelia's socialite sister Irene marries a German industrialist who whisks her away to Berlin. Cordelia, feistier and more intellectual than Irene, gets a job at a newspaper in Paris, pursuing the journalism career she cherishes. As politics begin to boil in Europe, the sisters exchange letters and Cordelia discovers that Irene's husband is a Nazi sympathizer. With increasing desperation, Cordelia writes to her beloved sister, but as life in Nazi Germany darkens, Irene no longer dares admit what her existence is truly like. Knowing that their letters cannot tell the whole story, Cordelia decides to fill in the blanks by sitting down with her Underwood and writing the truth.
When Juno reads the unfinished novel, she resolves to uncover the secret that continued to divide the sisters amid the turmoil of love, espionage, and war. In this vivid portrait of Nazi Berlin, from its high society to its devastating fall, Jane Thynne examines the truths we sometimes dare not tell ourselves.
"Thynne's elegant narrative immerses the reader in war-torn Europe while potently showing the division that forms between Cordelia and Irene. Fans of WWII fiction with strong female characters will be immersed in this magnetic novel." - Publishers Weekly
"[T]his is a satisfying book, filled with vivid historical detail and surprisingly nuanced characters...An engrossing, suspenseful page-turner that defies expectations." - Kirkus Reviews
"Highlighting the power of the written word to bear witness to the seismic shifts of history, this is complex material beautifully stitched. I couldn't recommend it more highly." - Elizabeth Fremantle, author of The Poison Bed and Queen's Gambit
"A gripping account of sisters divided by war...Thynne's depiction of prewar Berlin is superb." - Daisy Goodwin, author of Victoria
"Haunting, taut, and compelling, this portrait of two upper-class British sisters divided by World War II is a kaleidoscopic story of love and betrayal whose characters are never quite what they seem. It will capture your attention immediately and keep you thinking for a long time to come." - Lynne Olson, New York Times bestselling author of Madame Fourcade's Secret War
This information about The Words I Never Wrote was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Jane Thynne was born in Venezuela and educated in London. After graduating from Oxford, she worked for the BBC, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Telegraph. She continues to freelance as a journalist while writing her historical fiction. Her novels, including the Clara Vine series, have been published in French, German, Greek, Turkish, Italian, and Romanian. The widow of Philip Kerr, she has three children and lives in London, where she is working on her next novel.
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