Member Review

If like me you have read WW2 books such as “The Nightingale”, then you will definitely enjoy “The Shock of the Light” which tells the story of female SOE agents during the Second World War.
Tessa and Theo are twins and extremely close. When war breaks out Theo joins the RAF, flying Spitfires and Tessa works as a secretary in the Foreign Office despite her Sorbonne degree. However it becomes clear that the twins have lost some of their closeness’s, particularly after Tessa’s time in Paris in the late 1930s. Both have secrets but are fearful to reveal them to each other.
When Tessa is recruited to the SOE due to her fluency in French, Theo and their parents cannot be told because of the secrecy of the work.
The first part of the book is told from Tessa’s point of view and is extremely atmospheric, convincingly conveying her life as an agent in war torn France, the fear of betrayal being ever present.
After the war Theo tries to find out what has happened to his beloved sister but to no avail until Edie, a PHD student researching the SOE women, meets up with him and decides to look into what life was like for Tessa during the war and why she did not return to her family as a heroine.
Theo has almost lived his whole life not knowing about her last days as he has been too scared to find out and it takes Edie, an outsider, to help him gain some closure.
I loved the two main characters in the book and the fact that they were twins made it all the more interesting. They were both compassionate and brave, living through difficult times with extreme fortitude.
This is an extremely well researched and compelling first novel. The author knows just how much factual information to put in to the book without slowing down the plot. I will certainly be looking out for any further novels by Lori Inglis Hall.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my advanced copy.