Five on a Treasure Island, Enid Blyton, Hodder & Stoughton, 1942
Frenchman’s Creek, Daphne du Maurier, Victor Gollancz Ltd, 1941
No Orchids for Miss Blandish, James Hadley Chase, Jarrolds, 1939
The Ministry of Fear, Graham Greene, Heinemann, 1943
Mrs. Parkington, Louis Bromfield, Harper & Brothers, 1943
Put Out More Flags, Evelyn Waugh, Chapman & Hall, 1942
The Body in the Library, Agatha Christie, Dodd, Mead & Company, 1942
The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis, Geoffrey Bles, 1942
The Myth of Sisyphus, Albert Camus, Éditions Gallimard, 1942
The Song of Bernadette, Franz Werfel, Hamish Hamilton, 1942
The Robe, Lloyd C. Douglas, Houghton Mifflin, 1942
West with the Night, Beryl Markham, Houghton Mifflin, 1942
The Moon Is Down, John Steinbeck, Viking Press, 1942
The Scarlet Imposter, Dennis Wheatley, Hutchinson, 1940
When We Meet Again
Caroline Beecham
A Conversation with Caroline Beecham
Discussion Guide
A Conversation with Caroline Beecham about When We Meet Again
What is your novel about?
When We Meet Again is the story of a young woman, Alice Cotton, who shows extraordinary courage and determination when she cleverly combines her search for her missing child with the challenge of creating much-needed books during wartime. The novel starts when her baby, Eadie, is stolen and Alice’s search takes her into the dark and frightening world of baby farming in the 1940s. (Baby farmers were people, often couples, who took infants and children for a fee under the pretext of looking after them but in most cases did the opposite.)
Though a tense and moving story, there’s also a lot of light in the book, which comes from the fascinating world of book publishing during the Second World War. Alice works as an editor at Partridge Press, where they are struggling to keep up with the demand for books with ever-increasing paper rations. Everyone is reading more; in the shelters, in their blacked-out homes—for entertainment and escapism—and more books are also needed for the troops and servicemen. When We Meet Again is a story of love and hope, about the importance of friendship, of loyalty and forgiveness—and the belief that books have the power to change lives.
Discuss your inspirations for the novel. Were there any personal experiences that drew you to this plot?
I discovered a long-held family secret from a few generations ago; that a relative’s baby was sold to a childless couple in a nearby town. I was quite shocked until I started looking into the circumstances and found out how common it was for unmarried mothers who were desperate to find a way of taking care of their illegitimate children. Unfortunately, they were often pressured into going through illegal adoptions and turning to baby farmers. I went through a number of stages trying to understand the desperation that could drive you to part with your own flesh and blood, and I realized how complex it was, and that it wasn’t a new social problem. When I discovered that a law that was supposed to be passed to protect children and stop unlawful adoptions was shelved because of the outbreak of war—the exact time it was needed more than ever—I knew that it was a story worth following.
There were also a number of individuals who inspired me; social activist Clara Andrew, fought to get the Adoption of Children Act passed, and journalist Olive Melville Brown followed the story and kept it in the public eye. Diana Athill was another pioneering woman who had a distinguished career as an editor and worked in the industry throughout the war and was one of the stimuluses for the character of Ursula.
A couple of settings also provided inspiration for the story; London Zoo and Book Row in New York. As soon as I learned how London Zoo, or Regent’s Park Zoo, as the locals called it, remained open during the war and grew in popularity, becoming a refuge to visitors and servicemen, it became a sanctuary for Alice too. There were also such wonderful real stories about the animals and their antics that I had to include some of them too. Once I knew about the important role books played in wartime—the US had a Council on Books in Wartime and a very successful books scheme for their troops—it was great to then discover Book Row. This area in New York had seven blocks of bookshops back then, and although its reduced to only two blocks now, I really hope to visit one day!
One of the novel’s most salient messages is the transformative power of books to unite and inspire during periods of hardship. Which books fill that role for you, either in your personal life or in your development as a writer?
I think there are books that you discover at different times and sometimes you find that perfect one. As a teenager it was the brooding romances of Wuthering Heights and Tess of the D’Urbervilles, or scaring myself with Stephen King. I’ve read a range of fiction and nonfiction since but now really enjoy fiction that shows me something new as well as has compelling characters and unusual settings, like Sarah Perry’s The Essex Serpent, Bridget Collins’s The Binding and Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing. I don’t turn to any specific books during challenging times but find that historical fiction can be so distracting and offer the world through a new lens.
As a writer, it makes a huge difference if I’m reading a book that really inspires me, and I find that reading established writers, like William Boyd, Maggie O’Farrell or Isabel Allende really helpful, as they are such accomplished storytellers with enviable vocabularies and the writing is so assured. I love British author Rachel Joyce for her wonderfully quirky characters and have enjoyed getting to know the work of American authors such as Kristin Hannah, Kate Quinn, Fiona Davis, Paula McLain and Meg Clayton White. And of course, there are exceptionally talented Australian historical fiction writers such as Natasha Lester and Kate Morton, whose books are inspiring and a joy to read!
Books are transformative; they do unite and inspire and remind us of our shared experiences. You only have to look at the millions of books groups and online clubs and sites around the world. Historical fiction in particular shows us that there are many who have gone before who have experienced harder times, and it’s important to remember that. In the same way that books were so important during wartime, many people have found the same to be true during lockdown. In wartime people read to understand, to entertain and for escapism and I think the same is true of why we’ve read so much more over the past year; and are reading still. It was fairly surreal editing the novel last year, when we were in lockdown and thinking that here was history repeating; you weren’t allowed to congregate in public places in groups of more than two hundred in wartime London, and there were similar restrictions again some seventy years later. It’s another way that historical fiction can be thought-provoking; reminding us how previous generations endured and carried on.
Many readers will be astonished to learn about the practice baby farming and its wartime prevalence. How do you think this practice fit in to societal attitudes toward motherhood at this time?
Unfortunately, there have always been people who will take advantage of others misfortune and sadly, unwanted babies fed an industry; the practice of baby farming. As I’ve already mentioned, baby farming was the practice of taking money for looking after a baby but not doing that, and children were often underfed and mistreated. There were also a lot of illegal adoptions that took place; adverts in British newspapers with babies and children for sale, although luckily, there were also people that wanted to help legalize the industry. It’s not surprising there more unwed mothers and more illegitimate babies during wartime given there was so much uncertainty about the future and the temptation to live each day as if it were your last. I’m sure society was shifting its attitude about motherhood during this time because of war, and because so many men weren’t returning, and there was probably a renewed feeling of the sacredness of life. People may have turned a blind eye to it before and banished unmarried mothers to convents and bab
ies to foundling hospitals, but there was social change thanks to women like Olive Melville Brown who pursued the cause in her newspaper stories, and Clara Andrew, who worked for the National Adoption Society.
In what ways does the current iteration of the novel differ from the novel you initially intended to write? In what ways has it stayed the same?
Initially I didn’t know how I would combine the stolen baby storyline with the publishing one, but as soon as I found out about the practice of baby farming and had the idea that Alice would combine her search for her missing child with creating these much-needed books, it gave me the engine of the story. The introduction of the real settings of London Zoo and Book Row, and the competition between the British and American publishing industries created a fascinating canvas for the story too. Given how essential books were during wartime, and how significant the struggles of the industry were then, this became an important storyline. By including the competition and collaboration between the US and British, I was able to include some of the fascinating detail about the publishing industry in Britain and the US during wartime.
The developing relationship between Alice and Theo stayed the same as I’d intended, but the character of Ursula had a much larger role in an earlier draft, and while it was right to reduce it because this really is Alice and Theo’s story, I am tempted to go back to Ursula one day . . .
Though this is your American debut, you have also authored two previous works of historical fiction in Australia. How did the writing experience of your current novel compare to that of your past novels?
The writing process for this novel was quite different to my debut novel, Maggie’s’ Kitchen, which I spent four years researching and writing. It’s about a cook who struggles to open and run one of the Ministry of Food’s British Restaurants to feed hungry Londoners during the Second World War. My second novel, Eleanor’s Secret, about a young female war artist who wants to record the war overseas the same as her male counterparts do, was quicker to write, as I had developed more of a memory and research bank about the era and life on the Home Front. The novel is a mystery and has a contemporary storyline that solves the wartime mystery, so it was exciting trying something new as well. Writing When We Meet Again was more straightforward in one way, as I knew what I needed to do because of the experience on my first two books, although it was challenging because I made higher demands of myself; I wanted to be braver, create more drama, find ways of using different language and avoid cliched metaphors. It’s a bit like the saying: The more you learn, the less you know. Writing is a craft, and I can’t imagine that you ever stop learning, or wanting to try new ways of doing things, pushing your boundaries and hopefully creating memorable stories.
Each of your novels is set during World War II, albeit focused on civilians’ wartime effort on the home front. Why did you want to write about this era, and what do you hope your novel helps readers understand about this moment in history?
I came across the story of the British Restaurants that the Ministry of Food set up during the Second World War and found them intriguing and was surprised that I hadn’t heard of them before. Lots of other people hadn’t either and that’s what gave me the idea for Maggie’s Kitchen; what could be more important than giving people this most basic need in wartime, and food is so restorative. As I researched this story, I found other great untold stories in the archives and thought they were also worth sharing. Before that I worked as a TV producer so it was a whole new way of storytelling but there seemed to be more possibility with fiction, although now I think Maggie’s Kitchen would make a great drama series too!
I hope readers find these stories entertaining and that they shed new light on this well-documented era and give a different perspective. It was such a fascinating period of social change when women had to suddenly take on roles that had previously been in the male domain and this was cause for celebration and upheaval, especially when the men came back from war and wanted their jobs back! There are so many interesting stories about life on the home front, and it’s inspiring finding out about these pioneering women. There seems to be a new wave of women writers who are putting women at the center of these wartime stories and giving them the action and adventure that men previously had; it’s probably because these stories have been hidden for so long that they are coming to the surface now.
What’s next for you?
I’m working on a new novel inspired by the real life of a British woman who helped rescue thousands of Jewish refugees from Europe in the 1930s and ’40s. There are some fascinating stories about the diaspora and the amazing legacy she helped create. It’s an exciting novel to research and write, but it’s also a very different way of working; I usually come across an untold history and create fictional characters to weave the history around. Creating a story inspired by a real character does come with the additional pressure of remaining true to their spirit while also creating an engaging character, and, of course, plenty of drama and romance. This is a challenge, but I feel that she sacrificed so much of her personal life to help others that it’s a great opportunity to give her something back and create the love life she never had. I just hope I do her fighting spirit and incredible legacy the justice it deserves.
Discussion Guide
1. Alice shows fierce bravery in her search for her child, overcoming physical and emotional obstacles, pain and discomfort and showing courage in facing the dangerous baby farmers and venturing into unfamiliar places. Where does Alice find her strength? How far would you go to rescue someone you love?
2. How does the wartime setting impact the events of the novel? Discuss the ways that war affected different areas of life in London during this time.
3. Compare and contrast the relationships between mothers and daughters in the novel, looking specifically at the connection between Alice and Eadie and that of Alice and Ruth. In what ways is Alice’s parenting style similar to or different from her own mother’s?
4. At the heart of When We Meet Again is the idea that books can change lives. Has a book ever changed your life? If so, what was it? Why did it have such an impact? Why do you think that books were particularly important during wartime?
5. Both Alice and Ursula face immense stigma in society. How does Alice’s status as an unwed mother change the way those in her community treat her? How is Ursula’s sexuality perceived by others?
6. The basis for When We Meet Again was rooted in the author’s own family secret—a relative of hers had an illegitimate child, who was sold to another family. Were you surprised to learn about the history of “baby farmers”? What else surprised you about the history of this time period?
7. Many characters in the novel increasingly rely upon their friendships as their family loyalties are tested. Why do you think these friendships were so powerful? Can you think of a friendship that sustained you when perhaps family did not?
8. Theo is dismayed when he learns of Walter’s disloyalty to his brother, George, but also could himself be considered disloyal based on his broken engagement with Virginia. Do you think Theo made the right decision? Where should his loyalty lie? How are different kinds of loyalty—romantic and familial—contrasted in the book?
9. Is there a “villain” in When We Meet Again? If so, who do you think it is? Why did each of the antagonists make their decisions, and can you empathize with any of them?
10. What do you imagine happens to Alice, Theo and Eadie after the novel’s end?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Caroline Beecham is the author of four historical novels. She studied the craft of novel writing at the Faber Academy in Sydney, with Curtis Brown Creative in London, and has an MA in film and television and an MA in creative writing. She lives in Sydney with her husband and two teenage sons. When We Meet Again is the first of her novels to be published in the United States.
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