THE WOMAN IN THE SABLE COAT
At the height of the Second World War in England, twenty-two year old Nina Woodrow joins the British Royal Air Force and rebels against her careful upbringing by embarking on an illicit affair with an officer. She risks losing everything for Guy Nicholson: her comfortable home, her childhood friends, and, especially, the love of her father, an enigmatic widower.Meanwhile, in the sleepy village where Nina grew up, where the upheavals of war seem far away and divorce remains taboo, Kate Nicholson struggles to cope with her new role as the wronged wife. She finds an unlikely confidant in Nina’s father,
At the height of the Second World War in England, twenty-two year old Nina Woodrow joins the British Royal Air Force and rebels against her careful upbringing by embarking on an illicit affair with an officer. She risks losing everything for Guy Nicholson: her comfortable home, her childhood friends, and, especially, the love of her father, an enigmatic widower.Meanwhile, in the sleepy village where Nina grew up, where the upheavals of war seem far away and divorce remains taboo, Kate Nicholson struggles to cope with her new role as the wronged wife. She finds an unlikely confidant in Nina’s father, Henry, and as they grow closer Kate finds that she’s embroiled in something much murkier, and more menacing, than a straightforward friendship.
Sweeping and impassioned, with pitch-perfect period detail, Elizabeth Brooks’ The Woman in the Sable Coat tells the story of two families fatally entangled in one another’s deepest, darkest secrets.
- Tin House Books
- Paperback
- March 2024
- 352 Pages
- 9781959030355
Buy the Book
$17.95
About Elizabeth Brooks
Praise
“The Woman in the Sable Coat isn’t just a breath of fresh air; it’s a gust, blowing away stale tropes of the World War II novel and replacing them with an intriguing tale of vivid characters caught in the snares of love, war, and deception.” —Annie Barrows, author of The Truth According to Us and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
“A beautifully written evocation of young girls coming-of-age, and plunging into womanhood and war, which gradually intensifies into a gothic unease that would make Daphne Du Maurier proud. Excellent–I could not put it down.” —Helen Simonson, author of The Summer Before The War
Discussion Questions
1. How did the prologue set the stage for your experience reading this novel?
2. How do you think the backdrop of the Second World War motivates the actions of the main characters?
3. There are many strong settings in the novelLondon, small english villages, an RAF airbase, and backcountry Canada. Did you have a favorite setting?
4. What did you think of the choice to alternate chapters and change POV? How did this influence the way the story was revealed?
5. Purple hyacinths populate the novel—what do you think they symbolize? Did their meaning evolve as you read?
6. The sable coat from the title is encountered by both women. What does it reveal about each character?
7. Over the course of the story, which character surprised you most? In what ways did your perception of the character change?
8. Letters appear throughout the manuscript—why do you think the author chose to include this form of writing?
9. What role do secrets play in this story? In your own life, what’s the biggest secret you’ve ever uncovered?
10. Why do you think Kate’s story is told in the first person, while Nina’s is told in the third person?
11. The book leaves Nina and Kate in June 1947. How do you picture their futures?