Jason Hewitt

A deeply compelling and poignant story about the tragic lessons of war and the endurance of memory. In the last months of World War II, a man wakes in a field in a country he does not know. Injured and with only flashes of memory coming back to him, he pulls himself to his feet and starts to walk, setting out on an extraordinary journey in search of his home, his past, and himself. His name is Owen. A war he has only a vague recollection of joining is in its dying days, and as he tries to get back to England, he becomes caught up in the flood of rootless people pouring through Europe. Among them is a teenage boy, and together they form an unlikely alliance as they cross battle-worn Germany. When they meet a troubled young woman, tempers flare and scars are revealed as Owen gathers up the shattered pieces of his life. No one is as he remembers, not even himself. How can he truly return home when he hardly recalls what home is?

A Novel

Devastation Road

It's July 1940, and eleven-year-old Lydia has just run away from life as a child evacuee in Wales. She arrives in her English village, gas mask in tow, only to find it abandoned. Her family's house is shuttered and empty, the windows covered by black-out blinds--but Lydia settles in, determined to wait there until they return. Late that night he comes: a wounded soldier, gun in hand, heralding a full-blown German invasion. There are, the man explains, certain rules that Lydia must now follow. He says he won't hurt Lydia, but she cannot leave the house. As the unlikely pair coexists in the claustrophobic confines of the house, each becomes dependent on the other for survival. But when Lydia tries to uncover what brought the soldier to her door, she realizes that he knows more than he should about her family--and that he's plotting something for them both.

a novel

The dynamite room

Dynamite Room

"Accomplished, resonant, and surprising." (Guardian)--a debut reminiscent of the beloved SUMMER OF MY GERMAN SOLDIER. In July 1940, eleven-year-old Lydia escapes life as a child evacuee in Wales. She arrives home to her English village, gas mask in tow, only to find it abandoned. Her family's house is shuttered and empty. Lydia settles in though, determined to wait out the war. Later that night he arrives: a wounded soldier, gun-wielding, heralding a full-blown German invasion. He says he won't hurt Lydia, but she cannot leave the house. The unlikely pair coexists in their claustrophobic confines, becoming dependent on each other for survival. Lydia soon realizes that the soldier knows more than he should about her family--and that he's plotting something for them both. Eerie, gripping, and incredibly moving, The Dynamite Room brings an original and contemporary resonance to the great tradition of war classics.

The Dynamite Room

The Abingdon Anthology

Juillet 1940. La petite Lydia, 11 ans, traverse un village du Suffolk. Elle porte un masque a gaz. Les magasins sont fermes, les maisons vides, les fenetres condamnees. Lydia coupe a travers champs et arrive bientot devant une grande demeure. C'est la qu'elle a grandi. La fillette espere y retrouver sa famille, mais la maison est deserte. Plus tard, dans la nuit, un soldat portant un fusil et un uniforme anglais penetre dans la maison. Avec un etrange accent, il lui explique qu'il ne lui fera pas de mal, mais qu'elle ne doit pas quitter les lieux et qu'elle doit obeir a certaines regles... Dit-il la verite ? Que cherche-t-il ? Pourquoi lui semble-t-il aussi familier ? Et surtout, comment connait-il le nom de Lydia ?"Aussi envoutant que dechirant, un magnifique roman ou le fracas de la guerre rencontre l'emotion des destins brises."Entremelant petite et grande histoire, Le Silence des bombes pose la question de la possibilite de la redemption, et de ce qui nous fait garder, ou pas, notre part d'humanite.""Un premier roman d'une maitrise stupefiante"" The Guardian"

Le silence des bombes

July 1940. Eleven-year-old Lydia walks through a village in rural Suffolk on a hot day. The shops and houses are empty, windows boarded up and sandbags green with mildew, the village seemingly deserted. She strikes off down a country lane through the salt marshes to a large Edwardian house - the house she grew up in. Lydia finds it empty too, the windows covered in black-out blinds. Her family has gone. Late that night he comes, a soldier, gun in hand and heralding a full-blown German invasion. There are, he explains to her, certain rules she must now abide by. He won't hurt Lydia, but she cannot leave the house. Is he telling the truth? What is he looking for? Why is he so familiar? And how does he already know Lydia's name? Eerie, thrilling and heartbreaking,The Dynamite Room evokes the great tradition of war classics yet achieves a strikingly original and contemporary resonance. Hypnotically compelling, it explores, in the most extreme of circumstances, the bonds we share that make us human. 'Superb. Absorbing, suspenseful and with a beautifully poetic touch' Nathan Filer,Costa-winning author of The Shock of the Fall 'Suspenseful and powerful. A novel of great humanity that exposes the absurd contradictions of war' Samantha Harvey 'Clever and unsettling, this most unconventional of war stories had me totally gripped' Shelley Harris, author of Jubilee

Jason Hewitt

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