United

What Only We Know by Catherine Hokin is a marvellous heart-breaking dual timeline novel that will consume you as you ‘live’ through the action.

The novel is set in Germany, mainly Berlin, in 1936-1947, and in England in 1971-1990. Chapters alternate, as do the voices through whom the story is told.

The horrors of life for Jewish people in Nazi Germany builds from ripples in 1936 to full blown horrors. Cruelty knows no bounds. One scene in particular affected me deeply as it played out before my eyes.

World War II effected lives and continued to effect lives for years later. A defining moment firmly grounded a character, stuck forever, suspended in a moment in time. No amount of love or care could move the character on.