Three stories interwoven to tell a story of love and betrayal. Key to the story is the small town of Kleinwald, and best friends Hanna and Sophie who regularly visit the Bridegroom’s Oak to deliver letters they hope will find them love. However, Hanna is also making use of the tree to send letters of a different nature.
In 1980’s Germany we follow young American Jenny who finds herself and her passion when she meets fiery punk Lena. Jenny gets caught up in the excitement of playing in an all-girl punk band, but when their friendship is used as a cover to try and get a family member out of East Berlin Jenny comes to see she has to look out for herself.
Also part of the story are best friends Miles and Chloe in New York at the start of COVID and lockdown. An unexpected package from Chloe’s grandmother begins their investigation into the case of two missing teenagers in 1930s Germany.
Seeing the various strands unfurl and seeing how they link was fascinating, though it took a little while to firmly establish the key characters. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this before publication.