Towards The Vanishing Point by Jan Turk Petrie

‘Towards The Vanishing Point’ is the latest book by Jan Turk Petrie.

In the North of England in1938, two ten-year-old girls, Lily Hetherington and Stella Marsden, form a close if unlikely friendship that endures despite their wartime experiences. After the war, the two women are working as nursing auxiliaries when Lily meets male nurse Will Bagshaw. Stella begins to hear sinister rumours about the man, but the besotted Lily won’t listen to a word said against him. Can Stella make her see sense before it’s too late?

I don’t often read historical fiction so ‘The Vanishing Point’ was a nice change. The story is primarily seen through the perspective of childhood friends Stella and Lilly, as they grow up together experience love and loss as well an unexpected additions in their lives.

Set against the dark times of the Second World War, this story focuses on friendship and the hardships that women had to go through at these times. Both women are strong and fierce characters that make for interesting reading. Spanning over 30 years, the story is well researched with the dialect and language that was used in that name. There are many angles to the story, but the main one is suspense when a charismatic man called Will enters Lily’s life and put her and Stella’s friendship into question. He’s a complex man who many people are suspicious off when Lily turns out to be his third wife.

The story primarily focuses on friendship and relationships but it does delve into the poverty and the sexism towards women during that era and I did find the story to be vividly written with descriptions of the bomb shelters and the impact they had on people’s lives.

A creative story that follows the ups and downs of life when men and life become in the way of friendships, ‘Towards The Vanishing Point’ is a compelling story that was a nice distraction from the usual genre I read.

You can buy ‘Towards The Vanishing Point’ from Amazon and is available to buy from good bookshops.