Lies Told In Silence (34 page)
Read Lies Told In Silence Online
Authors: M.K. Tod
Afterword for Lies Told in Silence
“A nation which refuse to perish, and which, in order to live, does not flinch either from suffering or sacrifice, is sure of victory.”
Gallieni, Commandant of the Army of Paris, September 1914
First and foremost, thank you for reading
Lies Told in Silence
. My greatest joy is to know that others have chosen to read the stories I’ve worked hard to tell.
Lies Told in Silence
is my second novel. Writing a totally fictional story, rather than one confined by elements of truth, turned out to be surprisingly liberating. Writing a novel using a chapter-by-chapter outline—thanks to Elizabeth George and her book
Write Away
—was a much more productive experience.
After finishing
Unravelled
, the idea of exploring the French experience of WWI was compelling as was the notion of having a novel ready prior to the war’s centennial. Naïve of me not to realize how many other authors and publishers would produce novels to commemorate that catastrophic time!
Lies Told in Silence
and
Unravelled
are linked through the characters Helene Noisette and Edward Jamieson, the former being primarily Helene’s story, the latter Edward’s story.
Lies Told in Silence
explores different kinds of love—young love, love that grows within marriage, parent/child love, love that sustains, love that damages. It also asks the question who and what individuals will sacrifice for. Of course, war is a dominant theme, particularly the effect it has on civilians, and I chose a setting in northern France so that war would be a daily presence in the lives of Helene, Lise, Mariele and Jean.
My high school French was not up to the task of reading French websites, novels and non-fict
ion sources, however in May 2008, while researching WWI Paris, I found three journals that vividly brought the home front experience to life. These were
On the Edge of the War Zone
by Mildred Aldrich,
Fighting France
by Edith Wharton and
Paris War Days
by Charles Inman Barnard. At that time, Aldrich and Barnard were journalists, Wharton already a well-known novelist. They had lived through the war and written about their experiences with great regularity. Excitement bristled as, pen in hand, I read every single word.
Beyond these journals I found many translated documents
, particularly those on the World War I Document Archive, maps showing French army deployments and battles, and a wide range of WWI information on websites like firstworldwar.com and Trenches on the Web. Understanding life on the home front was critical and other sources helped:
Women’s War Work
, edited by Lady Randolph Churchill;
You Who Can Help
by Mary Smith Churchill; as well as photos available from various sites, books and museums.
In 2010, my husband and I travelled to northern France to visit the battlefields, monuments, cemeteries and museums dedicated to WWI. It was a wonderful opportunity to see
first hand the area where I imagined Beaufort to be, to hear the sounds of rural life, experience the smells, watch people interact with shrugging shoulders and waving arms, and to appreciate the rhythm of spoken French, all the while absorbing the atmosphere. I took hundreds of pictures, which have fuelled descriptions of meadows, stone fences, doorways, village settings and other aspects of life.
There is no town called Beaufort
in northern France so the train station, Rue Principale, the central square, St. Jerome’s church and Café Pitou are all figments of my imagination stoked by that trip. For purposes of the story, the town had to be close enough to Vimy for the battle to have a profound impact on the local citizenry. Beaufort represents the enduring ways and values of rural life and I tried to place it in stark contrast to Paris, where Helene had been raised and where Lise and Mariele had made their way in society prior to the war.
On the subject of Vimy Ridge, it is important to note that there were three attempts to take the ridge. The first two—one by the British and one by the French—were unsuccessful and resulted in
enormous casualties. The third and successful attempt was assigned to the Canadians. What Jean and Helene see from their hilltop perch (assumed to be near Mont St. Eloi) and what Edward relates to Helene are based on Pierre Berton’s non-fiction account of the battle in his book titled
Vimy
. To avoid complexity, I chose not to mention those first two attempts.
While Helene is the main
character and voice, some scenes are from the perspectives of Lise, Mariele and Henri. I became very fond of the interaction that occurred amongst three generations of women, which made me appreciate even more the relationships I’ve had with my mother and grandmother. Wisdom passed down the generations takes time to come to fruition; often the impact is felt years after the advice is given.
Helene’s father
Henri Noisette plays the role of experienced civil servant, a man who walks the corridors of power and thus knows more than most citizens. He provides us with a behind the scenes view of war from the very first chapter. In my mind, he is also an archetypical upper-class French father, rather a snob when it comes to those from outside his class. An attitude with devastating effects.
I love the serendipity of researching. Monsieur Garnier and his pig, Emmeline, came from an early twentieth century photo of a French farmer and his prize-winning pig. The red Tonneau emerged from a Google search for turn of the century cars.
I attempted to model the style of letters going back and forth between members of the family on a lengthy article about French letter writing. Many other small details were sacrificed to the cutting room floor.
I found it refreshing
, if one can call any view of war refreshing, to investigate WWI from the French perspective rather than the British, Canadian or American. Battles and campaigns mentioned in
Lies Told in Silence
are as accurately depicted as I could make them. Any errors are solely my responsibility.
M.K. (Mary) Tod
June 2014
Acknowledgements
Just as it takes a village to raise a child, so does it take a raft of talent and support to create a novel.
I am grateful to friends and family who read early drafts and strengthened the story with honest feedback. As with
Unravelled
, Jenny Toney Quinlan provided wonderful editorial and cover design expertise. In an email exchange, Jenny said “I’ve got your back, babe” and indeed she has. The other individual who ‘has my back’ is my husband Ian. His support has been more than amazing.
Many other writers have given their time and encouragement via email, Facebook and telephone. I’m not sure what I would do without this welcoming community of historical fiction authors. I am delighted to have found them and count them as friends.
In the early days of
Lies Told in Silence
, Sylvia Rayner offered advice and encouragement and was instrumental in finding an agent for it. While that connection did not ultimately secure a publishing deal, it did provide an incredible boost of confidence at a vulnerable time.
I’ve also been fortunate to join the Historical Novel Society
and become a volunteer. Richard Lee, Sarah Johnson, Lucinda Byatt, Helen Hollick, Claire Morris and others have encouraged my survey efforts and welcomed me into the fold.
Finally, I would like to thank Margaret Evans Porter, Donna Russo Morin, Amy Bruno, Richard Lee and Sharon Kay Penman for reading and endorsing Lies Told in Silence.
About M.K. Tod
I
have enjoyed a passion for historical novels that began in my early teenage years immersed in the stories of Rosemary Sutcliff, Jean Plaidy and Georgette Heyer. During my twenties, armed with Mathematics and Computer Science degrees, I embarked on a career in technology and consulting continuing to read historical fiction in the tiny snippets of time available to a working woman with children to raise.
A
fter working thirty years, an unexpected sojourn as an expat in Hong Kong prompted me to begin writing. At first I dabbled, but within months I was hooked, not only with the intensity of writing but also with the fascination of researching the details to lend authenticity and atmosphere.
Unravelled
—the story that took hold—was released in September 2013
.
Lies Told in Silence
is my second novel.
Beyond writing I run a blog called
A Writer of History
and do book reviews for the Historical Novel Society. In 2012 and 2013 I conducted reader surveys reaching a total of more than 3,000 participants from around the world. Survey results are accessible on my blog.
I live in Toronto, Canada, am very happily married and have two adult children.
I love hearing from readers … you can reach me at [email protected].
