“If you had to do something truly awful to save your own life, would you?”
I’m delighted to introduce you to my debut novel, The Shock of the Light.
This is a novel many years and countless hours of research in the making. It focuses on a period of history I’ve long been fascinated by and was inspired, in part, by my family history. During the Second World War, my late grandfather was involved with the Belgian resistance, something he found incredibly difficult to speak about beyond a few tantalising asides. Only after his death, and after speaking with relatives in Europe, did I begin to see the trauma behind his reticence.
At university, I researched the involvement of women in World War Two resistance movements, with a particular focus on British-led efforts to disrupt enemy operations through sabotage and espionage. I visited the National Archives in Kew and pored over female secret agents’ personnel files. I read every book I could find on the subject and listened to hours of recorded interviews in the Imperial War Museum. I came across stories of astounding, almost unfathomable escape from the enemy which made me wonder: did it really happen like that, or was this a cover for something shameful – or, worse – traitorous? It occurred to me that even the smallest grain of doubt could cast a shadow over a person’s motives. And of course, plenty of people did willingly collaborate with the enemy, which led me to the question – if you had to do something truly awful to save your own life, would you?
“At its heart, The Shock of the Light is a kind of love story.”
Together with the impact of trauma on ordinary people – something which lasted long after VE Day and is still little discussed in the context of the Second World War (I think many of us had relatives who could never quite find the words to describe what they had witnessed) – these experiences and questions provided the impetus for my novel.
At its heart, however, The Shock of the Light is a kind of love story. It’s about an unbreakable bond between twins Tessa and Theo, a love which endures no matter what history might have in store.
As someone who is rarely happier than when exploring my brilliant local bookshops, I am incredibly excited for you to read my novel (and it is genuinely thrilling to think of it finding a place on your shelves). Thank you so much for reading The Shock of the Light.
Lori Inglis Hall
About the book
12 Feb 2026
A dazzling literary achievement that brings to life the shattering emotional impact of World War Two on ordinary people
Cambridge, 1942
Twins Tessa and Theo had always shared everything – until the summer Tessa spent studying in France. She hasn’t been the same since. But before Theo can find out why, he is recruited by the RAF and disappears into the skies.
Determined to carve her own path, Tessa joins the clandestine Special Operations Executive, slipping into the shadows of occupied France. It will be dangerous work, but France is the home of her greatest love – and her darkest secret. Tessa has many reasons for wanting to return.
Two years later, only one of them comes home.
A dazzling literary achievement that brings to life the shattering emotional impact of World War Two on ordinary people, THE SHOCK OF THE LIGHT is as exhilarating as it is heartbreaking.