{"product_id":"never-closer-a-novel-about-a-diary-that-opens-a-door-on-the-past-9781739519803","title":"Never Closer: A Novel About a Diary That Opens a Door On the Past","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEDITORS' CHOICE: HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e-\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e \"A historical novel for our times.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A story that soaks into the memory and stays there.\" \u003c\/strong\u003eKatherine Mezzacappa, Author of The Maiden of Florence\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn ordinary day in 2017. Jo receives a phone call about her 18-year-old daughter, Jessie. It is the call that every parent dreads.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOxford 1940. 17-year-old Alice ties on her facemask and enters a laboratory to harvest a potential new miracle drug called penicillin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe lives of these women become entwined when Jo finds Alice's diary in a vintage handbag. Past and present overlap and merge as life-changing events resonate for them all across the gulf of time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is a story about a diary opening a door on the past, chronicling a young woman's determination to succeed against all odds, while unknowingly inspiring others to step into a better life. Set against the backdrop of the Second World War, the infancy of antibiotics and a modern medical emergency and its consequences, it not only reminds us how fortunate we are to live now, but also serves as a stark warning about the fragility of life and the dangers of complacency.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"Margot Shepherd knows how to tell a story and this one hits a nerve that connects women and mothers across the generations.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMartine McDonagh, Author of Narcissism for Beginners\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"An intriguing, touching story about the power of love - and science - to heal.\"\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLaura Wilkinson, Author of Crossing the Line\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Umbel","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50403538665746,"sku":"9781739519803","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_c6fd8acf-ac58-47e0-b45d-3d5c20e7e0a4.jpg?v=1740416422","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/never-closer-a-novel-about-a-diary-that-opens-a-door-on-the-past-9781739519803","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}