The Photographer of the Lost: A BBC RADIO 2 BOOK CLUB PICK - Softcover

Scott, Caroline

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1471183114 ISBN 13: 9781471183119

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, 2020

Synopsis

‘This excellent debut is a melancholic reminder of the rippling after-effects of war’ The Times
'A touching novel of love and loss' Sunday Times

For fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and Where The Crawdads Sing comes a moving story, inspired by real events, about how hope and love will prevail against all odds.
 
1921
In the aftermath of war, everyone is searching for answers.
 
Edie’s husband Francis never came home and was declared ‘missing, believed killed’. But when she receives a mysterious photograph of him in the post, hope flares and she begins to search.
 
Harry photographs gravesites on the Western Front, hired by grieving families. Plagued by memories of his last conversation with Francis, he has never stopped searching for his brother.
 
After years apart, their search brings them together. As they uncover the truth they are haunted by the past and their own complex feelings – towards Francis, and towards each other.  
 
Are some questions better left unanswered?
 
Perfect for fans of Maggie O'Farrell and Helen Dunmore, The Photographer of the Lost is a beautiful novel, inspired by real events in the wake of the First World War, about love and loss, grief and guilt, and the fleeting, fragile moments of life.

Praise for The Photographer of the Lost:

'There's only one word for this novel… and that's epic… A beautifully written must-read' heat

'A gripping, devastating novel about the lost and the ones they left behind' Sarra Manning, RED

‘Terrific first novel’ Daily Mail

‘Scott has done an amazing job of drawing on real stories to craft a powerful novel’ Good Housekeeping

‘A deeply poignant and immersive novel . . .  told in beautiful, elevated prose. I was completely caught up in these characters’ stories’ Rachel Hore

'What a wonderful debut novel . . . With a mystery at its heart and a moving, but page turning hook, I couldn’t stop reading' Lorna Cook

'A sublimely rendered portrait of the search for answers amidst the chaos and devastation left behind in the aftermath of World War 1' Fiona Valpy

‘A poignant hymn to those who gave up their lives for their country and to those who were left behind’ Fanny Blake

'I was utterly captivated by this novel, which swept me away, broke my heart, then shone wonderful light through all the pieces' Isabelle Broom

‘Beautiful, unflinching: The Photographer of the Lost is going to be on an awful lot of Best Books of the Year lists, mine included… unforgettable’ Iona Grey

'Momentous, revelatory and astonishing historical fiction!' Historical Novel Society

About this title

About the Author

Caroline completed a PhD in History at the University of Durham. She has a particular interest in the experience of women during the First World War, in the challenges faced by the returning soldier. Caroline is originally from Lancashire, but now lives in south-west France.

From the Back Cover

Perfect for fans of The Tattooist of Auschwitz and 1917, The Photographer of the Lost is an epic novel of forbidden love, loss and the shattered hearts left behind in the wake of the First World War.If someone you loved went missing, would you ever stop searching for them?

‘This excellent debut is a melancholic reminder of the rippling after-effects of war’ The Times
'[An] impressive debut… a touching novel of love and loss' Sunday Times

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 has been 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’s 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.

And as Harry and Edie’s paths converge, they begin to get closer to a startling truth.

An incredibly moving account of an often-forgotten moment in history, The Photographer of the Lost is an epic novel of forbidden love, loss and the shattered hearts left behind in the wake of the First World War.

Caroline Scott is a freelance writer and historian specializing in WWI and women’s history. The Photographer of the Lost is partially inspired by her family history.

Edition details

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1471183114
• ISBN 13: 9781471183119
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 512