Introduction

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Calamity of Souls comes David Baldacci’s newest novel, set in London in 1944, about a bereaved bookshop owner and two teenagers scarred by the Second World War, and the healing and hope they find in one another.

Fourteen-year-old Charlie Matters is up to no good, but for a very good reason. Without parents, peerage, or merit, he steals what he needs, living day-to-day until he’s old enough to enlist to fight the Germans. After barely surviving the Blitz, Charlie knows there’s no telling when a falling bomb might end his life.

Fifteen-year-old Molly Wakefield has just returned to a nearly unrecognizable London. One of millions of children to have been evacuated to the countryside Molly has been away from her home for nearly five years. Her return, however, is not the homecoming she’d hoped for as she’s confronted by a devastating reality: neither of her parents are there.

Without guardians and stability, Charlie and Molly find an unexpected ally and protector in Ignatius Oliver, and solace at his bookshop, The Book Keep. Mourning the recent loss of his wife, Ignatius forms a kinship with both children, and in each other they rediscover the spirit of family each has lost.

But Charlie’s escapades in the city have not gone unnoticed, and someone’s been following Molly since she returned to London. And Ignatius is harboring his own secrets, which could have terrible consequences for all of them.

As bombs continue to bear down on the city, Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius learn that while the perils of war rage on, their coming together and trusting one another may be the only way for them to survive.

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Excerpt

A Boy Called Charlie
It was well past the midway point of 1944 when Charlie Matters clambered over the piled-up debris that littered much of London, while doing his best to fade into the lingering edges of the nighttime. Charlie would be fourteen on his next birthday, and years had passed since his parents had been alive. Eighteen thousand souls had died violently in the eight months of the Blitz alone, and one in six Londoners had been left homeless at one time or another. Sometimes there seemed to be more fallen buildings than ones left standing. A person could easily become desensitized to such profound loss. Yet while the war years had tried their best to rob him of it, Charlie was still resolutely in possession of a heart. ... view entire excerpt...

Discussion Questions

1) World War II is such a pivotal moment in history for the world, and it’s one that everyone learns about. But was there something you discovered that you were unaware of while reading Strangers in Time? If yes, what was it and how did it change your perspective of the war?

2) In times of crisis, it’s not about your circumstances prior that determine how you’ll survive, it’s the choices you make and the people around you. How do you think Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius would have fared if they hadn’t met each other?

3) Molly was sent to the countryside at the start of the war, but when she returns, she finds both of her parents gone and a city that no longer looks as she remembers it. Was there ever a time in your life where everything you knew changed? How did you get through that period in your life?

4) Charlie has found himself alone in this dangerous world and he has a hard time trusting others. Why do you think he finally opened up to Molly and Ignatius? Was there ever a moment where you had to take the leap and put your trust in someone new? How did you let go and let that person in?

5) Ignatius sat every day wanting to finish his late wife’s novel, but couldn’t find the right words to type. How did his grief hold him back, not just in writing the novel, but in living his life, especially during such a harrowing time when one needs to embrace every moment they have?

6) By the end of the book, Charlie and Molly have a bond that has stayed strong, even as the years have gone by and they’ve created their own families away from each other. Who in your life holds a similar place in your heart and is someone you can return to, time and time again, no matter where your separate lives take you?

7) How did you feel when you learned the truth about Ignatius’ wife and her activities? Did it make you think differently about Ignatius himself?

8) Charlie, Molly, and Ignatius all feel an intense need to contribute to the war efforts, whether it’s Charlie wanting to enlist to fight the Nazis, Molly putting her nursing skills to use, or Ignatius being a warden who helps guide Londoners to bomb shelters and assists those injured. But there doesn’t have to be war for someone to want to contribute to something important. What’s something that you’re passionate about and you strive to make better in the world?

9) Molly and Charlie come from very different socioeconomic worlds; he’s an East End lad with very little, while the West End Molly grew up in luxury. The novel shows that war can render what one materially possesses meaningless. What lessons can readers draw from this on a personal level?

10) The title Strangers in Time alludes to people who didn’t know one another, surreptitiously coming together just in the nick of time, to allow them to be supportive of one another in getting through the war. Have you met someone during a difficult time in your life whom you felt made a positive difference? And if you had not met that person how different would your life have been?

11) Charlie and Molly are still children in the novel, but they have to grow up very quickly and act more like adults. Have you ever had life situations that forced you to do something similar? What do you think the pros and cons of having to do that are?

12) Molly and Charlie have remained lifelong friends, but friendships of that nature change over time. Do you have friendships of a long-term nature and how have they evolved as the years have gone by?

13) The novel speaks to the ability of people to adapt to almost any situation, in this case years of bombing, death and destruction. How do you think going through such an ordeal may change people? Will it make them less trusting, more independent, more, or less, cynical, or more confident in their abilities to weather any storm?

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