April 2025

Following the success of WE WERE THE LUCKY ONES, I was looking forward to what Georgia Hunter would write next. In ONE GOOD THING, she brings us to World War II Italy in 1940. There, we meet Lili and Esti, both of whom are Jewish and have been friends since they were in school together. They become even closer after the birth of Esti’s son, Theo. Esti’s husband, who is of Greek heritage, has returned to Greece to check on his family as attacks on Greek Jews have begun. I was unaware that over 80% of Greece’s pre-war Jewish population was killed by the Nazis.

Esti joins the resistance, working to make fake identification documents for other Jewish members of their community. She enlists Lili to help their underground efforts. But at some point, after a horrific event wounds Esti, she asks Lili to take Theo and head to safety. Lili flees on bicycle and foot with Theo in tow. She operates with limited knowledge of where exactly is safe and realizes they could be imprisoned and shipped to a camp at any time. Readers will see that at every turn there is no sure safety net. Who do you trust? Who will turn you in?

Lili’s journey makes her stronger, and a chance meeting along the way will change her life. Georgia keeps the tension up from the start. She shares with readers the lesser known story of the war in Italy, and the role that churches and the Pope played during these years.

To learn more about Georgia’s inspiration and research for ONE GOOD THING, be sure to watch or listen to our “Bookreporter Talks To” interview.