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Editorial Content for The Time In Between

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The Time In Between

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Norah Piehl

Reviewer (text)

Norah Piehl

As anyone who has been blown away by a novel like Jennifer Egan's A VISIT FROM THE GOON SQUAD can attest, there's something to be said for experimental form, nonlinear narratives, and creatively postmodern methods of storytelling. Nevertheless, every once in a while, nothing beats a good old-fashioned blockbuster of a story, the kind of novel you can just imagine being made into a BBC miniseries, complete with colorful scenery and fabulous costumes.

"THE TIME IN BETWEEN is not only a well-researched historical work of fiction; it's the kind of novel that speaks to our most fundamental desires for a great story, masterfully told."
It's definitely not hard to picture THE TIME IN BETWEEN, Maria Duenas's debut novel, being made into this kind of cinematic saga --- the costumes, in particular, given that the book is focused in large part on fashion and dressmaking. Certainly Duenas's detailed descriptions of the glamorous gowns created by her main character, Sira Quiroga, offer a particularly vivid glimpse into the world Sira inhabits: Spanish Morocco during the 1930s and 1940s. But they also contribute to the portrayal of a young woman gaining confidence and capability by virtue of her own talent and determination, as well as to a surprising narrative about espionage and subversion in the time of war.
 
Near the beginning of THE TIME IN BETWEEN, it seems unlikely that Sira will amount to anything. Seduced by Ramiro, a charismatic typewriter salesman, she follows him from Madrid on the cusp of civil war to Tangiers in Morocco, her suitcase stuffed with an unexpected windfall of cash and jewels from her long-estranged father. After Ramiro abandons her and makes off with all her worldly goods, Sira knows no one and fears that she has lost everything, including her close relationship with her mother, who remains unreachable in an increasingly dangerous Madrid.
 
It turns out, of course, that she hasn't lost everything. Bolstered by an unexpected (and probably illegal) investment that she has to secure by becoming an unlikely gun runner, Sira soon rediscovers her skill for dressmaking that her mother fostered back in Madrid, and thereby begins to rediscover herself: "I never could have imagined that the feeling of a needle between my fingers would be so pleasing… The satisfaction of sewing again was so pleasing that for a couple of hours I was taken back to happier times and managed temporarily to dissolve the leaden weight of my own miseries. It was like being back home."
 
Before long, Sira has established herself as the premiere couturier to the many wealthy European expatriates who have flooded into the Spanish Protectorate during the lead-up to World War II. As she circulates through this diverse and often secretive company --- many of whom meet socially in Morocco despite growing tensions between their countries back home --- Sira finds herself able to use her sewing skills in a new and surprising way, as an agent of espionage for the Allied forces during the war.
 
Romantic, sweeping and passionate about both its setting and its protagonist, THE TIME IN BETWEEN is a thoroughly absorbing novel about a place and period in history that will be unfamiliar to many American readers. Duenas helpfully includes an author's note about the fact and fiction of her book, as well as a bibliography for readers whose interest in this area is sparked by this fictional treatment. Elegantly translated from the Spanish by Daniel Hahn, THE TIME IN BETWEEN is not only a well-researched historical work of fiction; it's the kind of novel that speaks to our most fundamental desires for a great story, masterfully told.
 

Teaser

 

By her early 20s, Sira Quiroga has learned the ropes of her mother’s seamstress business and is engaged to a government clerk. But everything changes when two charismatic men burst into her neatly mapped-out life: an attractive salesman and the father she never knew. Sira leaves her mother and fiancé, following her handsome lover to Morocco, but soon finds herself abandoned, penniless and heartbroken in an exotic land.

Promo

By her early 20s, Sira Quiroga has learned the ropes of her mother’s seamstress business and is engaged to a government clerk. But everything changes when two charismatic men burst into her neatly mapped-out life: an attractive salesman and the father she never knew. Sira leaves her mother and fiancé, following her handsome lover to Morocco, but soon finds herself abandoned, penniless and heartbroken in an exotic land.

About the Book

The inspiring international bestseller of a seemingly ordinary woman who uses her talent and courage to transform herself first into a prestigious couturier and then into an undercover agent for the Allies during World War II

Between Youth and Adulthood...

At age 12, Sira Quiroga sweeps the atelier floors where her single mother works as a seamstress. At 14, she quietly begins her own apprenticeship. By her early 20s, she has learned the ropes of the business and is engaged to a modest government clerk. But everything changes when two charismatic men burst unexpectedly into her neatly mapped-out life: an attractive salesman and the father she never knew.

Between War and Peace...

With the Spanish Civil War brewing in Madrid, Sira leaves her mother and her fiancé, impetuously following her handsome lover to Morocco. However, she soon finds herself abandoned, penniless, and heartbroken in an exotic land. Among the odd collection of European expatriates trapped there by the worsening political situation back on the Continent, Sira reinvents herself by turning to the one skill that can save her: her gift for creating beautiful clothes.

Between Love and Duty...

As England, Germany, and the other great powers launch into the dire conflict of World War II, Sira is persuaded to return to Madrid, where she takes on a new identity to embark upon the most dangerous undertaking of her career. As the preeminent couturier for an eager clientele of Nazi officers’ wives, Sira becomes embroiled in the half-lit world of espionage and political conspiracy rife with love, intrigue, and betrayal.

Already a runaway bestseller across Europe, THE TIME IN BETWEEN is one of those rare, richly textured novels that enthrall down to the last page. María Dueñas reminds us how it feels to be swept away by a masterful storyteller.