The Tapestry of Time

I picked up The Tapestry of Time (#1,346) by Kate Heartfield because the plot is built around the Bayeux Tapestry during World War II.  I know, I know - every other novel these days still seems to be about WW II!  But this one is a little different for a couple of reasons; there's a definite woo-woo vibe because the Nazis are aggressively pursuing possession of the tapestry for its supposed ability to predict the future and the outcome of the war, and secondly it's introduced by a lesbian romance in occupied by Paris.

Since the book led with that romance, I admit I almost put it down, but I stuck with it and soon found it hard to put down.  The Sharp family is gifted with Second Sight although they do their best to downplay it.  But they are able to see things that others are not, and that makes them valuable to the British government during World War II.  Their father Rupert, and his three daughters at home are all recruited for different roles in war work.  The fourth daughter, Kit, is living in occupied Paris, but keeps seeing her sister Ivy in her flat, and outside on the street.  Kit is convinced Ivy is in trouble.  When old friend and neighbor Max also shows up outside her Paris flat and offers to help her look for Ivy, she leaves behind her lover and goes off in pursuit of her sister.  Harrowing adventures ensue.

The point of view switches amongst the four sisters, filling in the broader story about the tapestry and their own attitudes about their "gifts".  It's a clever use of an interesting and enigmatic historical object.  Should you ever have the chance to see the Tapestry for yourself, it's an astonishing piece of work.  It would be fun to think that it possesses some of the powers the Nazis believed it had!