When Zofia’s beloved husband Haru is conscripted into the Imperial Japanese Army in 1941, she is left to navigate Japanese-occupied Shanghai alone.
Far from home and surrounded by a country at war, Zofia finds unexpected comfort in a bond with Hilly, a spirited young refugee escaping Nazi-occupied Austria.
As violence tightens its grip on the city, they seek shelter with Theo, Zofia’s American employer.
But with every passing day, the horrors of war and Haru’s absence begin to reshape Zofia’s world – and her heart.
Can she still love someone who has become the enemy?
The Enemy’s Wife by Deborah Swift is published on 9 April, 2026.
Find out about the inspiration for this book in Deborah’s feature about wartime Shanghai.
For more new historical fiction, have a look at Historia’s list of books coming out in 2026 — more than 130 of them.
