Shadows Over Paradise: A Novel

For readers of Kate Morton and Jamie Ford comes a captivating novel of two very different women, struggling to come to terms with the ghosts from their past-by the internationally bestselling author of A Vintage Affair and The Very Picture of You

Sometimes the only way forward is through the past.

Jenni Clark is a ghostwriter. She loves to immerse herself in other people’s stories-a respite from her own life, and from a relationship that appears to be nearing its end. Jenni’s latest assignment takes her to a coastal hamlet in England, where she’s agreed to pen the memoir of an elderly farm owner named Klara. Jenni assumes the project will be easy: a quiet, ordinary tale of a life well lived.

But Klara’s story is far from quiet. She recounts the tale of a family torn apart by World War II, and of disgraceful acts committed against a community in the Japanese prison camps on the Pacific island paradise of Java. As harrowing details emerge and stunning truths come to light, Jenni is compelled to confront a secret she’s spent a lifetime burying.

Weaving together the lives of two very different women, Isabel Wolff has created a captivating novel of love, loss, and hope that reaches across generations.

Praise for Shadows Over Paradise

An excellent choice for fans of Sarah Jio and Kate Morton. -Booklist

Shifting focus from the present to the past with ease, this novel brings to the page the reality of the horrors of the Japanese-run internment camps in vivid and gory detail. Wolff’s latest will please fans of women’s stories that include a realistic depiction of life during wartime and the ability to overcome adversity. -Library Journal

Beautifully written … an outstanding book club selection … If you liked Jamie Ford’s novels [then] you’ll like Shadows Over Paradise. -Huntington News