The postmistress

In 1940, France has fallen and London is bombed every night, while President Roosevelt promises that American soldiers will not be sent to fight in foreign wars. Frankie Bard, an American radio reporter and the first woman to broadcast from the Blitz, wants to bring that war home to listeners across the Atlantic. She believes the right story will push Americans to act.

In Franklin, a small town on Cape Cod, postmistress Iris James hears those broadcasts and expects the war to reach her shores sooner or later. She treats her job as keeping secrets and delivering the news that letters carry.

One secret is her feeling for Harry Vale, the town mechanic, who scans the ocean each day for German U-boats. Both are single and in midlife, and both gave up on love long ago, yet they drift toward each other.

Will Fitch, the town doctor, and his new wife Emma also listen. Both want to leave a fragile childhood behind and build something better. Will answers the call of Frankie's reports and goes to London to help, promising Emma he will be back in six months. Her worst fears begin to take shape.

The novel is historical fiction that alternates between an America still sheltered from the danger and a Europe being torn apart. It follows two women who cannot bring themselves to deliver news and a third who waits for word she dreads. The pace is measured, and the mood is serious and reflective.