Signal Moon - Kate Quinn

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AUTHOR: Kate Quinn

GENRE: Historical fiction, Science Fiction.
RATING: 4.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: My very first Kate Quinn work, and I loved it! Just a short story and yet what lovely character development and writing! I could almost hear and see the characters.

Story Synopsis:
1943, Yorkshire. Lily Baines, the young daughter of a wealthy and well-connected Viscount, has traded in the luxury living to join in the war efforts. She now intercepts naval signals and sends them to Bletchley Park for decryption. One day, she catches a previously unknown signal, which relays to her a horrifying scene. An American ship is being attacked in the North Atlantic, and one officer, Matt Jackson, is narrating all that’s unfurling around him. In addition to feeling helpless, Lily is also shocked and confused over the date that Matt mentions… He is narrating from the year 2023! How can Lily help Matt across the 80-year divide when her communications device is equipped only to receive signals and not to broadcast them?


Where the story worked for me:
😍 Kate Quinn’s ability at developing her characters within just a 57-page story left me stunned. With only two main characters and a few secondary characters, she still manages to let us know why her characters did what they did.

😍 The story evokes a multitude of emotions such as fear, anger, sorrow, courage, surprise, and humour—no mean feat for short fiction.

😍 A great short story begins powerfully, picks up pace as it progresses, and delivers a memorable ending. This was a great short story.

😍 Kate and Matt’s characters are easily the most well-sketched. Each has dialogues where joviality intermingles with tension, which isn’t easy to write.

😍 There are so many beautiful and worrisome moments in this story. Can’t tell you more as I don’t want to go into spoilers.

😍 For the first time ever, I kept putting myself in each of their (Lily’s and Matt’s) places and wondered how I would have reacted. This happens to me while reading full-length novels but never during a short story. I love how it dragged me into its action, thereby increasing the impact.

😍 The author's note at the end is *chef’s kiss!*


Where the story could have worked better for me:
☹ The logical side of me knows that it had the best possible ending. The emotional-fool side of me feels let down by the bittersweet feelings it generated. ‘Ye Dil Maange More’, what to do!


In short, I loved it to the core. What an amazing ode to the legendary Bletchley Park and the young women who played a vital role through their interceptions! Strongly recommended for historical fiction lovers who don’t mind a dash of low-key sci-fi.

This story is free for Amazon Prime Subscribers.

Note: I read somewhere that this story is set in the world of ‘The Rose Code’ by the same author. I haven’t yet read this novel, but I didn’t feel like I missed out on understanding ‘Signal Moon’ because of this.

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