City of Women

A stunning and cinematic tale of life in Berlin at the height of the Second World War. 
 
In the very darkest hour, who do you trust, who do you love, and who can be saved? 
 
It is 1943 - the height of the Second World War. With the men taken by the army, Berlin has become a city of women. And while her husband fights on the Eastern Front, Sigrid Schröder is, for all intents and purposes, the model soldier's wife: she goes to work every day, does as much with her rations as she can, and dutifully cares for her meddling mother-in-law. 
 
But behind this façade is an entirely different Sigrid, a woman who dreams of her former Jewish lover, who is now lost in the chaos of the war. 
 
Sigrid's tedious existence is turned upside-down when she finds herself hiding a mother and her two young daughters: could they be her lover's family? Now she must make terrifying choices that could cost her everything. 
 
'Gillham's Berlin is a terrified city, where nobody dare speak the truth and the smallest decision can cost you your life. A terrifically tense first novel' The Times 
 
'In this moving and masterful debut, David Gillham brings war-torn Berlin to life and reveals the extraordinary mettle of women tested to their limits and beyond. Powerful and piercingly real. You won't soon forget these characters' Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife 
 
'David Gillham's excellent new novel is built on one of the most extraordinary and faithful recreations of a time in history - Berlin in World War II - that I've ever read' Alan Furst

Gillham's Berlin is a terrified city, where nobody dare speak the truth and the smallest decision can cost you your life. A terrifically tense first novel

Gillham evokes beautiful and dark cinematic imagery, which lifts the story off the page

David Gillham's excellent new novel, City of Women, is built on one of the most extraordinary and faithful recreations of a time in history - Berlin in World War II - that I've ever read.

In this moving and masterful debut, David Gillham brings war-torn Berlin to life and reveals the extraordinary mettle of women tested to their limits and beyond. Powerful and piercingly real. You won't soon forget these characters.

Paula McLain, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Wife

[A] stunning debut . . . Gillham puts a fresh spin on the horrors of WWII

Scene after scene burns into the reader's memory . . . I can already imagine the film

A page-turner . . . City of Women challenges preconceptions

Vividly cinematic yet subtle and full of moral ambiguity . . . riveting characters - is as impossible to put down as it is to forget

David Gillham trained as a writer at the University of Southern California. After relocating to New York, he worked in the book industry, and now lives with his family in Western Massachusetts. City of Women is his first novel.

In the very darkest hour, who do you trust, who do you love, and who can be saved? 
 
It is 1943 - the height of the Second World War. With the men taken by the army, Berlin has become a city of women. And while her husband fights on the Eastern Front, Sigrid Schröder is, for all intents and purposes, the model soldier's wife: she goes to work every day, does as much with her rations as she can, and dutifully cares for her meddling mother-in-law. 
 
But behind this façade is an entirely different Sigrid, a woman who dreams of her former Jewish lover, who is now lost in the chaos of the war. 
 
Sigrid's tedious existence is turned upside-down when she finds herself hiding a mother and her two young daughters: could they be her lover's family? Now she must make terrifying choices that could cost her everything.

David Gillham

An original, intriguing novel

In this haunting what-if, David Gillham asks us to reflect on the quandary of how one learns-in the unimaginable wake of the Holocaust-to live again, shedding a powerful, human light on the tragedy of lost potential

Georgia Hunter, author of We Were the Lucky Ones

Gillham strikes a deft balance between describing the life of an ordinary teenager - going to the cinema, arguing with adults - and the more difficult task of imagining one living with the legacies of extreme trauma

Gillham's beautifully crafted novel is a respectful tribute to the creative and passionate writer who died so young. Highly recommended

I can't wait for Gillham's next novel - play it again, Sam

In this moving and masterful debut, David Gillham brings war-torn Berlin to life and reveals the extraordinary mettle of women tested to their limits and beyond. Powerful and piercingly real. You won't soon forget these characters

Paula McLain, author of The Paris Wife, on City of Women

David Gillham's excellent new novel is built on one of the most extraordinary and faithful recreations of a time in history - Berlin in World War II - that I've ever read

A Novel of Anne Frank

In this unforgettable novel, David Gillham imagines Anne's life if she had survived the horrors of the Holocaust. It is 1945, and Anne Frank is sixteen years old. Having survived the concentration camps but lost her mother and sister, she reunites with her father, Pim, in newly liberated Amsterdam. But Anne is adrift, haunted by the ghost of her sister, Margot, and the atrocities they experienced. Her beloved diary is gone, and her dreams of becoming a writer seem distant and pointless now. As Anne struggles to build a new life herself, she grapples with overwhelming grief, heartbreak, and ultimately forgiveness. In this masterful story of trauma and redemption, David Gillham explores with breath-taking empathy the woman - and the writer - Anne Frank might have become.

David Gillham

Praise for Annelies

An original, intriguing novel

In this haunting what-if, David Gillham asks us to reflect on the quandary of how one learns-in the unimaginable wake of the Holocaust-to live again, shedding a powerful, human< ...

Gillham strikes a deft balance between describing the life of an ordinary teenager - going to the cinema, arguing with adults - and the more difficult task of imagining one living with the le ...

An original, intriguing novel

In this haunting what-if, David Gillham asks us to reflect on the quandary of how one learns-in the unimaginable wake of the Holocaust-to live again, shedding a powerful, human< ...

Gillham strikes a deft balance between describing the life of an ordinary teenager - going to the cinema, arguing with adults - and the more difficult task of imagining one living with the le ...

An original, intriguing novel

In this haunting what-if, David Gillham asks us to reflect on the quandary of how one learns-in the unimaginable wake of the Holocaust-to live again, shedding a powerful, human< ...

Gillham strikes a deft balance between describing the life of an ordinary teenager - going to the cinema, arguing with adults - and the more difficult task of imagining one living with the le ...

Books by David Gillham

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