This novel tells the alternating stories of Vivian in 1964 and Violet in 1914. One morning, Vivian receives a strange parcel in the mail that leads her on a path to finding more about her family’s past and a mysterious aunt named Violet.
Violet is working in 1914 as a female physicist in prewar Germany under the watchful eye of Dr. Grant, whom she ends up marrying. The summer that she meets Lionel Richardson, a captain in the British army, Violet’s life changes forever.
Vivian is working as a journalist in 1964 and begins researching more about Violet’s life for a newspaper article. She learns some family secrets along the way.
I enjoyed this book. I love books about family secrets, and I enjoy the format, the switching between the past and present.