Last week, we attended the launch of Sarah Day’s historical fiction novel, Night Climbing. The event, held at the amazing Owl Books in Kentish Town, was a lovely way to celebrate the “poignant tale of lives lost in an avoidable catastrophe and others deeply damaged by lies and propaganda” (The Times).

Night Climbing follows two women - Sylvia and Hilde - whose lives are both altered forever when a tragedy throws them together, on the cusp of WWII.

Night Climbing is out now with Legend Press.

INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY, NIGHT CLIMBING IS ABOUT TWO WOMEN’S UNWAVERING PURSUIT OF TRUTH, SURVIVAL, AND FAMILY.

When Sylvia’s son, Cyril, vanishes during a perilous school trek in the German mountains, her world crumbles. A pre-trip postcard from Cyril hints that his teacher – now lauded for his rescue efforts – knew more about the stormy conditions than he has admitted. Sylvia shifts from frantic mother to justice seeker.

Meanwhile in Hofsgrund, a German mountain village, Nazi flags and Hitler Youth parades are rapidly appearing, and Hilde senses life’s irreversible change. The English schoolboys’ rescue shakes the community, sparking political strife. Neighbour turns on neighbour, endangering Hilde and Sylvia’s quest for Cyril.