Today I’m sharing my thoughts about Caroline Scott’s debut novel, which was published by Simon and Schuster UK in hardback in 2019 and in paperback in June 2020.
Synopsis:
If someone you loved when missing, would you ever stop searching for them?
1921. The Great War is over and while many survivors have been reunited with their loved ones, Edie’s husband Francis has not come home. He was declared ‘missing, believed killed’, but when Edie receives a mysterious photograph in the post, taken by Francis, hope flares. And so she begins to search.
Francis’ brother, Harry, is also searching. Hired by grieving families to photograph gravesites, he has returned to the Western Front. He too longs for Francis to be alive, so they can forgive each other for the last conversation they ever had.
As Harry and Edith’s path converge, they begin to get closer to a startling truth.
My thoughts:
I purchased this book back in June 2020 from Bert’s Books but only started reading it during the first weekend of Lockdown 2 which was also Remembrance weekend. As readers of my book review blog may remember, I recently read and reviewed Caroline’s latest book, When I Come Home Again (https://mentoringmumof2bookreviews.home.blog/2020/10/31/when-i-come-home-again-by-caroline-scott/)
The photographer from the title of the book is Harry, who went to war with both his brothers but was the only one to return to England. As the story develops, we discover more about Harry’s relationships with his family and what happened in France and Belgium. Harry takes photos for other families who are looking for their loved ones who have been declared as Missing In Action or who have died.
The book is heartbreaking in places but is beautifully written by Caroline Scott, who conveys the horrors of World War 1 and the aftermath with care. Was a Missing In Action telegram more cruel than a Died in Service telegram, due to the continued hope of seeing a loved one alive again?
A five star read for me.
Karen K is reading 
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