Why a Booktrail?
1953: During the devastating North Sea flood, a love triangle turns murderous.
The Night of the Flood
What you need to know before your trail
No-one could have foreseen the changes the summer of 1952 would bring. Cramming for her final exams on her family’s farm on the Norfolk coast, Verity Frost feels trapped between past and present: the devotion of her childhood friend Arthur, just returned from National Service, and her strange new desire to escape.
When Verity meets Jack, a charismatic American pilot, he seems to offer the glamour and adventure she so craves, and Arthur becomes determined to uncover the dirt beneath his rival’s glossy sheen.
As summer turns to winter, a devastating storm hits the coast, flooding the land and altering everything in its path. In this new, watery landscape, Verity’s tangled web of secrets, lies and passion will bring about a crime that will change all their lives forever.
Travel Guide
Discover the truth about the North Sea Flood
The real life and devastating North Sea Flood is the inspiration for the novel. It is symbolic in so many ways and the theme of water and destruction is omnipresent.
The 1953 North Sea flood was a major flood caused by a heavy storm on 31 January 1953. The storm surge struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. The combination of wind, high tide, and low pressure caused the sea to flood land up to 5.6 metres (18.4 ft) above mean sea level. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, causing extensive flooding.
“But the time after a flood was always strangely full, teeming with life. Life had been undone, unmade, taken away by the sea. But what was left in its place?”
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Night of the Flood
Destination/location: Norfolk Author/guide: Zoe Somerville Departure Time: 1950s
Back to ResultsWhere Next?
