The Greatcoat – Helen Dunmore

1952, and a young doctor and his new wife arrive in a small town in the East Riding of Yorkshire, renting a basic flat with the landlady upstairs to save money to buy a place of their own.

One cold winters night, Isabel finds an old World War II greatcoat in a cupboard, and is soon deep into an affair with its airman owner – turning a blind eye to the fact that his airbase is now a dilapidated collection of abandoned buildings and reclaimed farmland on the outskirts of town.

Author’s page: The Greatcoat – Helen Dunmore