The Secret Keeper

It is the story of twin sisters separated by war and secret.

They grew up in a lovely family that fought in WWI and passed on the importance of fighting for peace and freedom. Dash, the more outgoing one, has been fascinated with engines and car repairs, but her dream has always been to fly a plane.

Dot, the quiet one, was fascinated with Morse code and problem solving. When Gus, raised by their family, enlisted in the military during World War II, Dash knew she had to do something to help during the war. She enlisted with the Women's Royal Canadian Naval Services (Wrens), and shortly thereafter Dot also joined the service.

The war separated them. Family problems and secrets made the situation even worse. They lost contact, but their show more hearts were always close to each other.

Told from two points of view, this story took me to the world of women's courage and bravery during war. It was a story of sisterhood and bonds that even war could not break.

I really enjoyed reading about Dash, who was not afraid of anything. What I liked about Dot was the way she progressed and gained confidence in a short period of time. They both did great. They both played a very important role in the history of the war.

Graham is a great storyteller. With short chapters, an interesting plot, and great characters, the author did a great job of keeping the reader's attention throughout the story.

Wonderfully written and well researched. I felt great sympathy for the strong female characters and was sad when the book ended.

She is becoming my favorite author with her very well-written books on points in Canadian history. This is my third book by this author and all of them have received 5 stars from me. show less

This was a fabulous book! So well-researched and so captivating from start to finish. I liked the Canadian World War II perspective. We often as Canadians underestimate Canada’s massive contributions to all the war efforts. I did not know that Canada had a ultra-Secret spy headquarters inour country during the Second World War. Canada also had plane manufacturing factories making all kinds of different war planes. I found out both of these things in this book and the stories around all of these Canadian efforts were illustrated so well in this marvellous book. The story is told around two Oshawa Ontario twin girls, Dorothy and Margaret Wilson. Both signed up for the Wrens (Women’s Royal Navy Service) at 18 years of age in 1942. show more Dorothy, or Dot, ended up in signalling and code breaking. Margaret (or Dash) worked in an airplane factory and then in a supply company flying supplies and necessities all throughout Europe. The book is told through the different viewpoints of each of the girls. I’ve read lots of WWII books but this book opened my eyes to a very different type of war and illustrates so clearly the important roles that women played in this war. The book is breathtaking and real. I absolutely loved it. Highly recommend! show less

Someday I will read a Genevieve Graham novel without crying; I don't know when, but someday. I love that Genevieve's books focus on Canada's history, it is always cool reading about our country's history in her stories.
I did not know about the WRENs prior to reading this novel and I thought it was really interesting and I loved learning about the part they played in the war efforts.

This was an interesting story of two very different sisters, the war time work they did during WWII, and the way the secrets one sister was forced to keep about her work affected their relationship. Ultimately, it was about the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.

Despite being so different, Dot and Dash were both likeable characters, and I was glad that the breach between them did not last as long as I'd feared it might. Also, it was interesting to read about the work they did.

This would be a good read for anyone who enjoys historical fiction, especially with a focus on Canada and/or WWII.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the early read.

Canadian Twin sisters join the WWll effort, one a code breaker and one a pilot, whose secrets a.ong torn apart their relationship