The Cipher

by Genni Gunn

It is June 1940 and fifteen-year-old Olivia Baldini's idyllic English life is shattered as Britain declares war on Italy. With hyperthymesia, Olivia possesses an extraordinary ability to recall information with vivid detail, a gift that makes her invaluable to Churchill's secret sabotage army, the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Trained in nursing, coding, and espionage, Olivia is dispatched behind enemy lines in Italy, aiding partisans and resistance fighters.

Nino Fabris, dreaming of world travel with the merchant marines, is thrust into the war when his ship is conscripted. Captured in North Africa and sent to a POW camp in Kenya, Nino seizes a chance for freedom by joining the SOE.

In the chaos of war, Olivia and Nino's paths intertwine. The Cipher is a gripping tale of love, resilience, and the power of the truth -- and who you trust with it.

242 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2024

About the author

Author of six works of fiction (3 novels and 3 short story collections), 1 book of creative nonfiction, 2 books of poetry, 3 collections of poetry translated from Italian, and an opera libretto -- the opera (music by John Oliver) was produced by Chants Libres in Montreal, 2007.

Her work has been translated into Italian, Dutch and Chinese. Her novel Tracing Iris was made into a film The Riverbank. Her last novel, Solitaria was longlisted for the Giller prize and published in Dutch and Italian. Her newest book, Permanent Tourists a collection of short stories, came out in October 2020.

Reviews

[Darlene MADOTT · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cypher is everything I expected of its brilliant author, who here weaves a complex story of love and war during WWII. Both agents in SOE, the Special Executive Operations – Churchill’s secret sabotage army against Hitler and Mussolini – the lovers, Olivia and Nino’s lives intertwine while on missions to help the partisans in Italy. Genni Gunn makes comprehensible and psychologically convincing her characters’ complexities. The telling is a subtle and masterful shifting between first-person, “I should have stayed home, safe, where I couldn’t be undone by my childhood…” and alternating third-person sections between Olivia and Nino, all of which happen seamlessly, never interrupting the driving pulse and flow of the story against the backdrop of World War II. Every sentence resonates.
The Cypher’s layered complexity, the accomplishment of the research which is part of the fabric yet never intrudes overtly is masterful, intelligent and sophisticated story-telling. And the historical recreations are visual, visceral, as if in real time. “Historical atrocities, [Nino thinks] are like inheritances passed down one generation to the next, leaving everyone wavering in the midst of everywhere and nowhere.” This is a polished work by a world-class writer at the height of her powers. Genni Gunn has written an indelible love story destined for screen and, hopefully, multiple translations and international acclaim!

[virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Genni Gunn, which made it an exciting read for me. I enjoyed the story of two people set against the world of WWII in Italy. I found the tale fascinating, as I love books about espionage work and spies during times of war.

I liked the book. But I had to go back and reread a few chapters once or twice to ensure I kept the story straight. I found the characters in the book to be well-developed, but the plot meandered a bit and confused me. The relationship between Olivia and Nino created difficulty, as I often found the dialogue somewhat unnatural and, therefore, hard to believe. But overall, the characters were likable enough, and I could relate them to the story.

I gave the book a 3.5 because I never got attached to the plot or the main characters, but I kept reading because I wanted to see how the book ended. The ending was ok, if a little rushed—as if the author wasn’t exactly sure how she wanted to end the tale.

I want to thank Net Galley, Signature Editions, and the author for the opportunity to read this advanced copy. My review is voluntary and mine alone.

[Dina Ovando-Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my 1st book by Genni Gunn and I was interested due to the extraordinary gift of 15 year old Olivia, and how it is used during WW II behind enemy lines as a Special Operations Executive (SOE) agent in Italy, aiding partisans and resistance fighters. There she meets Nino Fabris, a young Italian man who was captured in North Africa and escaped, joining the SOE. It was an interesting premise, as I know very little about the Italian and African aspects of WW II.
It has romance, betrayal, espionage, family strife and war details without being overly graphic. The storyline seemed uneven to me, with the pacing sometimes slow and very detailed and other times a bit rushed, especially at the end. The main characters also needed more foundation to their attraction to better understand/believe the relationship. Overall, a 3 star book for me.
A big thank you to the publisher, Signature Editions and NetGalley for the ARC, all opinions expressed are my own.

[Gillian Farago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Signature Editions and NetGalley for my pre publication digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
I enjoyed this novel. Olivia’s particular memory patterns were interesting, and I learned a lot about how secret agents and espionage work during wartime. War has always terrified me, my father never spoke about his World II experiences, but they clearly affected him deeply. There were coincidental elements of the love story between Olivia and Nino that a bit hard to believe, but then life is stranger than fiction so I guess anything is possible. Other friendships and work relationships added some depth to the overall story, it was good to have a couple of unlikeable characters too.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE CIPHER is a well-researched historical novel by Genni Gunn, an Italian-Canadian whose family history, her DNA bring the story alive. The story is told through the lives of the two main characters, Olivia and Nino, recruited by Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) to work as operatives in World War 2 Italy. I found the novel absorbing reading it late into the night. I invested in the main characters and also some of the minor ones, and I learned something about the many factions in Italy in that era, and also the poverty and hunger in the land. But it is also a love story and who does not love a love story!

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just fine to me. Overall the idea of two sort of star-crossed SOE agents was really intriguing to me, but the execution left something to be desired. I’m a romantic person, but I found myself not really understanding why the two main characters were so drawn to each other. Their relationship was supposedly the whole point of the book, but it wasn’t elaborated on enough for me. The pacing of the book was a bit uneven, and the last section went through way faster. Olivia herself especially did not seem to really get enough of an ending for me.

[Ron Baumer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting tale of two individuals set against the backdrop of WW2 in Italy. The story is intriguing, but I felt somewhat confused. The story wandered back and forth and was hard to follow at times. The ending seemed to be a bit rushed and needed a fuller explanation. I enjoyed the book, up until the ending which left me unsatisfied.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.