Never Closer
When your life changes in a moment, how do you rewrite your story?
In 1940s Britain, with the Second World War raging, Alice is working in a laboratory developing a new miracle medicine. Made to leave school at sixteen and abandon her aspiration to be a teacher, she learns instead how curing people may be her destiny.
In the present day, Jo, already in a failing marriage, is devastated when she hears her daughter’s life is on a knife edge. At her bedside Jo starts to read Alice’s diary, found the previous day in a vintage handbag.
A door opens onto the past, revealing a young woman’s fierce determination to succeed against all odds. Past and present overlap and merge as life-changing events resonate across the gulf of time.
This is a story of a mother whose life is blown apart. Now she must find a way to put it back together. Can Alice show her the way?
Editorial Reviews
"Never Closer is an impeccably researched call for the recognition of women's contribution to medical research and an utterly absorbing cross-generational coming of age tale in which redemption comes through the agency of other women. A story that soaks into the memory and stays there." — Katherine Mezzacappa, Author of The Maiden of Florence
"Margot Shepherd knows how to tell a story and this one hits a nerve that connects women and mothers across the generations." — Martine McDonagh, Author of Narcissism for Beginners
"An intriguing, touching story about the power of love - and science - to heal." — Laura Wilkinson, Author of Crossing the Line
"Margot Shepherd has cleverly interwoven the lives of the two women, living in very different times and yet facing very similar life challenges: loss, grief and finding the courage to step forward into the life they want to pursue. Timeless themes, beautifully packaged." — Something By Jane
What Readers Say
“If you like historical fiction or complicated family relationships, this is the book. The story line goes between the 1940s and present day. It’s about so many things, WW2, the discovery of penicillin, relationships, family dynamics, and fashion. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.” — Goodreads reviewer ★★★★★
“From the very first page I couldn’t put this book down. It is brilliant. Best book I’ve read in a long time. Easy reading. A story that you can’t wait to see how it ends.” — Kobo reviewer ★★★★★
“Enthralling and enjoyable read! Difficult to put this book down! Set in two eras - 1940s and 2018 - the lives of two families are connected through a diary, and their need of penicillin. Heart breaking at times, as life often is, but written sensitively. It also brought to life the reality of early penicillin manufacture, which today is something we take for granted. A well-written story and definitely worth reading, especially if you enjoy history.” — Amazon reviewer ★★★★★
"I thoroughly enjoyed reading this lovely book. It is beautifully written, elegantly linking the life of a present-day woman with another from the 1940s. A real pleasure to read and highly recommended." — Goodreads reviewer ★★★★★
"Never Closer is an excellent novel, engaging, informative and well-written. This is a book which will move readers, particularly if you are a parent, showing not just the power of medicine to heal but also the power of love to make a difference." — Portobello Book Blog ★★★★★
”I devoured this book. The characters are rich and their stories compelling. I loved the undertone lessons of the book, namely, self-actualisation, the importance of forgiveness and most importantly the issues we face as a world towards antibiotic resistance. I feel the best way to inform people of such important issues can be anecdotally and this story does it perfectly. Highly recommend this book!” — Amazon reviewer ★★★★★
“This has to be one of my most favourite reads ever! A member of my book club chose it and I’m so glad as once I started reading it, I couldn’t put it down! It blossomed into this amazing story, a mix of fact and fiction.” — Goodreads reviewer ★★★★★
Never Closer has two storylines, one set in the early 1940s and the other in the present day. The idea for the first story sprang from an article I read in a newspaper about The Penicillin Girls, the young women who grew and harvested penicillin from the mould, penicillin notatum in the 1940s. My interest was immediately sparked especially as I knew little about the development of penicillin. Like most people I always associated penicillin with Alexander Fleming but as I started to research the subject, I discovered how little his contribution was to the development of penicillin as a drug. The heroes were Howard Florey, Ernst Chain and Norman Heatley. As a scientist I am always interested in stories about science told from a female viewpoint so I thought it would be interesting to tell this story from the perspective of one of the Penicillin Girls.
The spark for the second story was a book by Dame Sally Davies, who was the Chief Medical Officer for England, The drugs don’t work. I was aware of growing antibiotic resistance due to their overuse, but this book spelled out how serious this is. The second story is told from the perspective of a mother of an eighteen-year-old who develops meningitis when she starts university. The two stories are linked by a diary written by the Penicillin Girl. The diary enables my present-day protagonists to contrast medical treatment today with what life was like before penicillin and subsequent antibiotics were readily available, and also to realise the seriousness of antibiotic resistance.
Inspiration for Never Closer
Jo is obsessed with WW2 especially the clothes from this era. Why do you think there is such a fascination with this period of our history?
Alice’s determination to have a career is very different from Jo’s. Why do you think Jo gave up her dream career so readily?
Jo still considers the house and town where she grew up to be home. Why do you think the places where we spent our formative years have such a hold on us?
Alice’s relationship with her mother is very different from Jo’s relationship with her mother. Do you have any sympathy or understanding for Alice’s mother?
There are three generations of women in both Jo and Alice’s story. How do the relationships between these women differ and how does this impact the story.
Mealtimes feature in both Jo and Alice’s story. Do you think these can reveal family dynamics?
The attitude of hospitals to visitors is very different today compared to the 1940s. Jo is able to stay by Jessie’s side whereas Alice and her family had little opportunity to visit Peter. Why do you think this has changed so much?
Everyone associates Alexander Fleming with penicillin. Why do you think he is remembered rather than the scientists who turned his chance discovery into a useable drug?
Do you think we take antibiotics for granted? Do you think we need to be reminded of what life was like before penicillin became available?