The Paper Birds

About the book

Imagine if you were tasked with ending a war using only a pencil, paper, and your problem-solving skills.

In the summer of 1943, Gemma Sullivan secures a prestigious office job, only to realize that she has been recruited to work in a secretive codebreaking office located in an unassuming lakeside house in Mimico, Ontario.

Dubbed the 'Cottage' and overseen by the brilliant and quirky Miss Fearing, a Bletchley Park-trained cryptanalyst, Gemma is lured into a world of urgency and intrigue. However, this job comes with a strict vow of silence.

Gem is forbidden from disclosing her work to anyone, not even her guardian Aunt Wren, who raised her following the tragic loss of her parents when she was just a child. Aunt Wren, a crossword and Tarot enthusiast, holds a deep-seated animosity towards war due to the loss of her fiancé in WWI - making her apprehensive of Gem's involvement in wartime affairs.

The codebreaking tasks become increasingly demanding and mentally taxing, but as Gem delves further into the realm of intelligence work, she becomes an indispensable member of the codebreakers' team. Though the Cottage's unit is small, their determination to succeed is unwavering, requiring them to cultivate a sense of unity. However, Gem jeopardizes everything when she develops a connection with a charming prisoner at a nearby POW camp who later vanishes.

"The Paper Birds" is a poignant WWII romance that sheds light on the challenges and contributions of ordinary women in the workforce during wartime and sheds a spotlight on the overlooked efforts of female codebreakers in Canada during the war.