In Germany in 1941, when Pascal kisses Noemi and presses his mother’s silver locket into her hands, it is a moment she has been longing for her whole life.
Growing up they were fearless, exploring the wild mountains in the Bavarian countryside together. But when war is declared, overnight their love becomes forbidden – Noemi is Jewish, while Pascal is being pressured to become a Hitler Youth officer by his father.
When Noemi’s parents are captured and taken to Dachau, she knows her hometown is no longer safe.
With time running out, Pascal smuggles her onto a train, praying she will survive until the war is over. Devastated, he watches the train leave, promising himself that one day he will find the girl who took his heart and locket.
Noemi’s life on the run plunges her into new dangers, but she never loses hope that one day she will make her way home to her family again. She tells herself that family can never now include Pascal, but still she remembers the pendant he gave her, and hope flickers in her chest like a flame, that one day somehow they might reunite.
But as the world burns around her, will she have the strength to find and forgive him? And if she does, will their love last – or will the war’s shadows tear them both apart forever?
The Secret Locket by Catherine Hokin is published on 7 July, 2025.
Read Catherine’s Historia feature about the ghettoes of occupied Europe.
There are almost 180 books published this year in our round-up of historical fiction to look forward to. You might find your next favourite novel there!
