Husbands & Lovers

In 1945, Hannah Ainsworth helps a much older Englishman when he needs a translator while interrogating prisoners of war. Impressed with her beauty and brains, he proposes. Six years later in Cairo, Lucien, a man with dangerous secrets, rekindles Hannah’s interest in life, but at what cost? In the summer of 2019, Mallory gets an emergency call from Camp Winnipesaukee after her 10-year-old son Sam eats a poisonous mushroom. Sam is on dialysis but the search for a kidney isn’t going well; it might be time for Mallory to contact the man who doesn’t know that Sam is his child. Being able to tell a story from distinct timelines decades apart, incorporating factual historical details within a fictional family’s framework, and creating emotionally engaging characters are some of Williams’s (The Beach at Summerly) superpowers. This book’s uncommon viewpoint of the Middle East post–World War II could inspire readers’ further exploration and add depth for book groups. Williams’s fans will recognize characters and locations from previous novels. Readers might guess how the novel’s contemporary plot connects to the historical one, but there are satisfying surprises waiting.