Never Closer

by Margot Shepherd

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 potential wonder drug, called penicillin. Made to leave school at sixteen and abandon her aspiration to be a teacher, she learns instead about medicines and miracles and 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?

“I devoured this book. The characters are rich and their stories compelling.” — Goodreads reviewer

“This is a tale that will wring your heart and feed your soul. Don’t pass it up!” — I’m a Voracious Reader

“Timeless themes, beautifully packaged.” — Something by Jane

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, World War II, Book Club, Audiobook, Historical

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 15, 2023

About the author

Margot Shepherd is a British author who was born in Yorkshire where she spent her childhood. She now lives in rural Sussex with her husband and Springer Spaniel, Genni. When she’s not writing she works in medical research at the University of Surrey. She writes about family relationships with a particular emphasis on women and science from a female point of view.

Reviews

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love blog tours as they take me out of my comfort zone and they allow me to read different genres that I wouldn’t normally consider.
When I got sent the description of this book I knew it would be something that I would enjoy reading.

On an ordinary day in 2017, Jo receives a phone call about her 18-year-old daughter, Jessie. It is the call that every parent dreads. In 1940, 17-year-old Alice ties on her facemask and enters a laboratory to harvest a potential new miracle drug called penicillin. The lives of these women become entwined when Jo finds Alice’s diary in a vintage handbag. Past and present overlap and merge as life-changing events resonate for them all across the gulf of time

I found myself hooked and I couldn’t let it go.
There were things I wanted the answers to.
I liked how the book was sent in two different eras, 1941 and 2018 and how they were contented by a diary.
I found the war era more interesting and the development of penicillin. Which was happening throughout the book. Reading this you can tell how much research went into the book.
I loved reading about the powerful bond between a mother and daughter.
Throughout the book there is hope, love and tenderness and positivity.
I would highly recommend this book.

[Sharon Rimmelzwaan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dual timeline novel that takes the reader on a journey so seamlessly. Set in 1940 and 2017, we are introduced to Jo, who has received terrible news about her daughter. She discovers a diary that belonged to a young woman in 1940. Alice is one of the 'penicillin girls' of the time who worked on the penicillin trials. I have always said that historical fiction always entertains and educates me. This story definitely did that!

It was a debut novel that had me so interested from the first page. One thing I know almost nothing about is the work that went into discovering everything needed to know about penicillin. Margot Shepherd has woven this story in such a way that it takes the reader right back in time so vividly. She has intertwined the timelines so well that I thoroughly enjoyed my time with both Alice and Jo.

The research for this novel was that thorough that Alice's diary felt so authentic. I wasn't so sure where the facts joined the fiction. I was so immersed in both women's stories that I had to keep reading until I turned the last page.

A very well written historical fiction novel that has characters who are well crafted and multi layered too. Such a great read!

Thanks to The Write Reads and the author for my copy of the book to write this honest review for the book tour.

[Carol (Reading Ladies) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

[Dane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not great

The story was inspiring due to the context. The information is pertinent as well as informative. However, I feel that the layout of the story missed a beat. It could have been better because the plot had everything needed it was just the delivery that lacked luster.

[Milicent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Catchy, emotive, about making decisions in life so, relatable

[Rachael Sugars · Rating 5 out of 5]

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!

[Jan Hungerford · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is right up my hobby with historical fiction in World War II, medical research, and telling up to separate lives that come together. I enjoyed it, but for some reason felt like something was missing as I read it.

[Maddy Fisher · Rating 3 out of 5]

For book club. Didn’t love it kinda predictable and boring…

[Heather Ewasiuk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 for me. I really enjoyed the story but felt the ending was too rushed.

[Barbara West · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way the story is told over two generations and the older generation helps the modern day mother and daughter through a very problematic time

[Margaret Wray · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a nice novel to read. The complexity of a family during WW11 in London. A mother who is resentful of those around her. The relationship of siblings . Growing up. The next timeline a family being torn apart by a daughter’s life changing health issue and the decisions that had to be made. A father who lived in his centred world , a mother doing more than her best.
Would recommend

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

This certainly wasn’t the worst book I’ve read this year, but it was pretty bad. That was because of a few different issues. First, the dual storyline was confusing because you kept waiting for them to relate to one another, and one receives significantly more weight than the other does. Second, the book is riddled with spelling and punctuation errors, and the seemingly random swaps between present and past tense get really annoying. I definitely blame the editor/publisher for this one. Finally, there were so many things going on in terms of minor plot lines that never really got resolved and just felt like they were distractions.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dual Timeline
Never Closer is a dual timeline novel set in both 2017 and the early 1940s in and around Oxford. Based on the true story of the development of penicillin at the Dunn School of Pathology.

It revolves around two women deeply invested in its success.

Firstly, Jo, who is a mum of two girls, Jessie and Kate, whom we first meet on her way to London for the day to visit an exhibition at The British Museum. Her friend Zoe owns a vintage shop and the day before, Jo had been helping her to unwrap a box of donations, full of clothes, accessories, shoes and hats. Within this haul is a brass clipped brown handbag in almost perfect condition, but it’s what lies within that is the real treasure: an old exercise book with the words ‘Diary of Alice Lawrence 1940-1942‘ on the front.

Now we meet Alice, when Jo reads the first page of her diary. Alice is working as a Technical Assistant in 1940 at the Dunn School of Pathology, where Professor Florey, Dr. Heatley and Dr. Chain have managed to isolate the active ingredient in mould to produce Penicillin. It is hailed as revolutionary by the team, but it needs to be tested on humans for its efficacy in killing infections. Alice is involved with the careful extraction of this active ingredient and becomes fascinated with the science behind it.

The scene is set and our protagonists introduced early on in this interesting and informative debut novel by Margot Shepherd.

The Connection
In 2017 Jo faces every parent’s nightmare: a phone call from a hospital urging her to come quickly as her daughter has been taken seriously ill.

In 1940 Alice is developing a keen interest in saving lives and how her work is playing a vital role in killing hitherto fatal infections. None more so than when tragedy hits her own family.

As each timeline’s story develops, we begin to see how events influence the women’s future paths, to fulfill their dreams and ambitions. Both battle with relatives who seem to hold grievances against them and both face loss and suffer the turmoil of grief.

They are ‘Never Closer‘ despite the gulf in time.

It seems these inner struggles to fulfill our destinies are indeed timeless.

Insight
Shepherd also gives us a fascinating insight into the history and developments of penicillin often solely attributed in common parlance to Alexander Fleming. However thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Professor, the Doctors and ‘The Penicillin Girls‘, penicillin was successfully extracted, tested and stabilised and has been used ever since to fight infection.

Jo‘s daughter receives antibiotics to treat her illness and yet just over 70 years earlier, many died from less dangerous infections. It emphasises how significant Alice and the team’s role really was at the lab in Oxford.

A New Challenge
It was so interesting to learn about the genesis of penicillin production and women’s role in this, as well as the scientific and historical facts dotted within the story. There is also a timely reference to current theories on antibiotic resistance, when Jessie considers changing her degree course. This is indeed the challenge we face as a society and it is up to the next generation of scientists to find a solution.

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.

[TheBookDude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never Closer is written in a rather unusual style. It is basically duel stories running side by side and set in two different timelines. One in modern times and the other in the 1940s.

I must admit it took me a while to settle in to this one. I initially found the writing to be a bit awkward, a bit telly, the present tense didn't flow as well as I'd have liked and was in my opinion quite jerky and hard to come to terms with, though perhaps this is a personal thing, as I see that most other reviewers did not appear to have an issue with it. So, as I say perhaps this is just a personal thing, and I will say that after a while I started to find the writing less jarring.

Despite these initial reservations about the writing, I stuck with it and slowly found myself settling in to the story. The two main characters are Jo and Alice. Jo’s friend Zoe owns a shop which is full of old items from the 1940’s and when Zoe has a new ‘windfall’ and buys a box full of items that somebody cleared out from their grandmother’s house, Jo is on hand.

As Zoe is showing off all her new items to Jo, Jo comes across ‘The Diary of Alice Lawrence 1940-1942’, enraptured by these words from the past Jo asks if she can take it and Zoe agrees.

From there we jump into Alice’s diary along with Jo and it is here in the 1940s where the book is at its best. In December 1940 Alice tells us she decided to keep a diary to record the events of her life and I instantly found even the writing more engaging in the Alice sections. The atmosphere of the war is all around her with soldiers going here and there and the city filled with various anti air defences and protections. Alice and several other young women work as a technical assistants helping to generate penicillin. I kinda feel the story would have been better if we just stuck with Alice rather than switching to Jo and so on, but given the way things develop I can see why the author wanted that and I quite liked the way the author began to bring out parallels and connections between the two women as their lives as it went along.

All in all I would recommend this to anybody who likes WW2 fiction and general women’s fiction also, the background to the development of penicillin was quite interesting.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4 and a big thank you to the write reads for bringing the book my attention.

[Joanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love when I learn something when I’m reading a book and I found out a lot from Never Closer. Did you know that although Sir Alexander Fleming is credited with the discovery of penicillin, he actually abandoned his research as he couldn’t work out how to isolate the drug? This book then tells the story of Alice, one of the ‘Penicillin Girls’ who were working on producing and extracting the antibiotic in the 1940s so its efficiency could be tested.

This isn’t just a historical novel though as it has a present day storyline too. This part focuses on Jo and her university student daughter Jessie. Jessie contracts bacterial meningitis and is seriously ill. Through her story, we can contrast the difference and advances in medical care from the 1940s to today.

The stories are linked by a diary, written by Alice and found by Jo’s friend Zoe in her vintage clothes shop. I loved reading this extracts from the diary and the parts of the book told from the point of view of Alice herself. Alice may begin as a lab assistant but she has aspirations and is inspired by the work of the doctors and nurses to make big changes in her life. Alice’s diary in turn inspires Jo to change her life too.

I thought it was very clever the way that the author contrasted the experiences of those in wartime with the traumatic experiences which Jessie went through. There were similarities in the way that people reacted to the traumas they experienced but stark differences in their chances of their survival in the early days of antibiotic use. It really makes you think about how lucky we are to live when we do and gives a sobering reminder that with increasing antibiotic resistance, we shouldn’t overuse or take antibiotics for granted.

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.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy of this book, to review as part of a tour with The Write Reads.

This is a dual timeline novel, with one narrative following the Collins family in 2017/2018, and the other following Alice in the 1940s.

When I started reading this, I felt it presented me with a fairly ordinary scenario, and there was nothing complex or elaborate about the writing. Still, I think the greatest stories can sometimes begin with an ordinary scenario, and from my experience as a reader, I feel that I can often sense, just from reading the first few pages of a book, that I'm going to enjoy it.

It wasn't long before I became very emotionally invested in this book, to a point where I was tearful. I see that as a good thing, because I think it's important to feel connected to the characters I'm reading about, and empathise with them.

With this type of book, I often find there are two sets of characters that I connect with in different ways, and this was the case here too. Reading the modern day narrative, I felt compassion for Jo and the rest of the Collins family, and all that they went through. Reading the narrative in the 1940s, I sensed just how important Alice's work was, and I was keen to see her succeed in her endeavours.

This book was an enjoyable novel, but I also found it very interesting in a historical and medical context. It took me on two very emotional journeys. While I found it an emotionally heavy read in places, I also read it in one sitting, as I found it impossible to put it down. I found the ending deeply emotional and sort of bittersweet, but this book was very moving and I found it uplifting to read.

Thank you to The Write Reads, the author and the publisher, for the opportunity to read and review this.

[Angela Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Margot Shepherd’s beautifully written and evocative first novel is set in 1941 and 2018 using the medium of a Penicillin Girl’s (Alice’s) diary to move between the past and the present. The novel expertly balances a personal memoir with the social history of life in the second world war and, specifically, the early development of penicillin. Whilst the latter was a revelation and very interesting, for me the most enjoyable aspect were the transitions between past and present, a concept I’ve always been fascinated by.
‘As Jo explains in the churchyard looking for Peter’s grave,
‘How she wishes there was a rent in the fabric of time that would let her step back to 1941…or some mind altering drug that would take her there as in Daphne du Maurier’s ‘The House on the Strand’’.

Never Closer is a very good read and there are a number of themes and discussion points makingnit very suitable for Book Clubs and group discussions.

[A Voracious Reader (a.k.a. Carol) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
Book source ~ TWR Tour

Jo is on her way to an event when she gets a phone call from the hospital about her daughter Jessie. As 18-year-old Jessie fights for her life against meningitis, Jo reads a diary found in a vintage handbag while sitting by her bedside. Written by 17-year-old Alice in 1940, her life as a Penicillin Girl resonates with both Jo and Jessie in an unusual way.

Switching back and forth between present day and past this story is one that will keep you turning the pages. I had no idea that the Penicillin Girls were even a thing. I actually didn’t even know how the production of penicillin even got started. Fascinating! The characters are great and the plot moves along at a good pace. I had a hard time putting this down to do real life things. I wanted to find out how everything turned out, in the past and the present. This is a tale that will wring your heart and feed your soul. Don’t pass it up!

[Barbara Fielding · Rating 5 out of 5]

I quickly became engrossed in this novel set with clever threads linking events in the present day with the life-saving production of penicillin during the second world war. The powerful bond between mother and daughter are portrayed with great feeling. It was an easy yet fascinating read, and I learnt a lot about the work of the women in the Oxford labs who had to work hard to keep pace with the demand created by the war. However, it was not only those directly affected by the war who benefitted from the antibiotic, and as the story unfolds we are reminded of how powerful it is in saving lives now, that could otherwise be cruelly lost. I especially like the ending…..what a great first novel!

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a lovely, easy, split-timeline book to read over the long bank holiday weekend.

The story weaves between 2017/1 and 1940/41. The wartime timeline is told through a diary written by Alice, one of the "penicillin girls"—a group I knew nothing about before reading this book. I really enjoyed learning this kind of historical information from a novel.

The modern-day main character, Jo, comes across the diary inside a handbag at a vintage shop and starts to unravel Alice's story.

Even so, it did leave me with a couple of questions, so I don't feel everything was totally resolved. The path that Jo was going to take was laid out for her, though, and I hope she found the commitment and courage to follow it.

[rhonda granquist · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, but it didn't 'grab me' until al
Ost to.the end. Jo, the mother of Kate and Jessie, has put her career on hold while her girls are raised. Rob, Jo's husband has never been much support during the girls growing up years. Jo receives a call from the school that her daughter Jessie went to the hospital with meningitis and is close to death.
In 1939 Alice finds herself very interested in the making of penicillin. Alice is about 17 years old and when she turns 18 she can choose for herself her future. Alice's mother is very mean to her and would forbid Alice to leave.
This story tells of the beginning of how penicillin was a god send for the people.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this novel told in duel timelines.
In 1940 World War II took place and life was hard in Britain, and a young woman takes on a job for money in a lab to make penicillin.
This was not Alice's choice. But, money is tight.

2017- A woman named Jo, finds a vintage purse that has an old diary inside.
She begins to read it when her daughter is critically ill in the hospital.
These two women have many similarities almost 80 years apart.

I loved how this book ended and how the lives of these ladies collide.

The past is always interesting and the present goes forward because of what happened back then.

[karla_bookishlife · Rating 5 out of 5]

A heartfelt and emotional story that connects women across dual timelines. In 2017, Jo is devastated when she receives a distressing phonecall regarding her daughter Jessie's health. The repercussions of that call.affect the course of their lives. She finds solace and connection within the pages of a diary from the 1940s, detailing the war efforts of 17 year old Alice as she works alongside scientists and other penicillin girls in a race to perfect the drug that will go on to save millions. The POV switches back and forth between the generations to reveal the trajectory of their lives amidst great change. Both elements of the story are beautifully woven together and pull on the heart-strings. I absolutely loved being drawn into the stories of all the women and loved how their stories merged. #nevercloser #margoshepherd # umbelpress #TheWriteReads

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This first time novel by Margot Shepard is about a young girl, Alice, who is one of the Penicillin Girls in the 1940's whose work in a lab leads to the availability of penicillin to treat bacterial infections. Her diary is found about 75 years later by a mother whose 18 y.o. daughter is critically ill with meningitis. It is the story of how the two women live lives that have more in common than one might think given the span of years. I liked the characters and the subject, and found it an enjoyable read.

[Marcia B Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great parallel between today and life in the 40’s

This book is a great example of how much has changed and how little has changed. We still have equality issues but technology has come a long way. I enjoyed learning about the discovery of penicillin and the women who played an important role in the process. I can relate to the main character Jo, and her desire to want to be more than just a wife and mother. I admire her strength to carry through with her plan to further her education and make herself a priority.

[Fariba Shojaa-Moradie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Never Closer by Margot Shepherd. It is a progressively gripping novel. The reader floats between the present and the time penicillin was discovered through the story of a young girl recovering from a meningitis infection.
The book is very up lifting. I particularly liked and related to the friendship between Zoe and Jo. I admired the subtle guidance from Zoe. A person with the clarity to help complete their friends.

I highly recommend Never Closer by Margot Shepherd. I was so engrossed that I missed an important appointment.

[Philippa Crundwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Never Closer' beautifully intertwines the 1940s and modern day to create a moving story about human strength and fragility, family bonds, and women's career aspirations both now and then. There is also a fascinating historical and scientific element to this novel - I particularly enjoyed discovering the lesser-known story of the penicillin girls who worked on harvesting this life-saving medication during the Second World War. A highly recommended book.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jo loved clothing from the midcentury. She couldn’t often afford them. Luckily her friend had a shop where she could at least view new purchases from estates. This time she actually obtained a dress and a purse. In the purse was a journal from the 40’s. As she read, she found she and her daughter’s lives crossed with the journal. Little did she realize hoe much it would affect their lives. Little did I realize how much this book would come to me.

[Mootika · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the author's choice to interweave the lives, events, and societal commentary of a historical period and modern day. I struggled to connect with the content for the first quarter of the book & found multiple phrases that were missed in proofreading/editing to be an unwelcome distraction. I did keep reading & in the end truly enjoyed this story that is told from a scientist's perspective. Overall? A quick summer read and nice balance of entertainment and historical tidbits.

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story grabbed my attention because part of the dual timeline centers around the invention of penicillin and the girls that we part of the lab trying to make it during WWIi. There is a lot more going on in both timelines and it definitely kept my attention as the stories are good but the writing wasn’t too colorful and the way it all turned out and the two timelines joins together was a bit simplistic and wrapped up too quickly. It was a 3.5 stars for me.