Summary

At the start of the novel, the narrator, Emmeline (Emmy) Lake, described walking home from work on a December afternoon in 1941, reflecting on how the nightly German raids (The Blitz) upset day-to-day life in London. While reading the newspaper on the bus, Emmy came across a job advertisement "Part-time Junior at Launceton Press Ltd" (4). A secretary at Strawman Solicitors, Emmy dreamed of being a war correspondent and saw an opportunity here.

Emmy reflected on how much she has adored writing about politics ever since she was a 12-year-old working for the school newspaper. Now, ten years later, with such an exciting opportunity before her, she wasted no time in applying. She exited the bus and raced down the street toward home, "hurtling craters" (6) left by the German bombing.

On the way, she passed by the newsagent shop run by Mr. Bone, a cheerful man...