Dinah Jefferies
© Susie Mackie

Setting the scene

How Dinah Jefferies finds stories from a strong sense of place

by ANNIE MAKOFF

British author Dinah Jefferies “loves the way reading takes you to another time and place, to a world you might not know.” Jefferies, the author of this month’s book buyer’s pick, The Hidden Palace, adds, “I like to read books set in beautiful locations with tough storylines. I like characters that really work with a story that holds me.”

Those qualities are what Jefferies aims to create with her own books. Her novels are all set in exotic locations—places she’s visited and has been inspired by, including Vietnam, Myanmar and Sri Lanka. The characters, she says, emerge from the strong sense of place.

“I want readers to feel they’re standing alongside real and vivid characters, so the setting has to be evocative and compelling,” Jefferies explains.

The Hidden Palace is no exception. Second in the Daughters of War trilogy, it’s set in Malta, which Jefferies describes as an “astonishingly beautiful island.” Malta has been invaded many times over the centuries and was strategically important during World War II to both Nazi Germany and the Allies.

As Jefferies explains, the Allies created war rooms in ancient tunnels under the capital city of Valletta. “It is a beautiful city, with these buttery stone buildings with balconies bursting with cascading geraniums,” says Jefferies. “Between June 1940 and October 1942, the islanders and the Allies suffered 3,000 air raids. During that time people hid in caves, cellars and tunnels, so you can just imagine the fear and the stress they must have felt—and the courage they needed to find on a daily basis.”

The resulting book follows the stories of Florence, who is running from war-torn France, and Rosalie, her mother’s sister, who has been missing in Malta for more than 20 years. “It’s an immersive read, partly about war, families and relationships, but also partly about the impact of uncovering a long-held family secret,” says Jefferies. “It’s a story with a powerful historical and emotional punch as the two threads, Florence’s and Rosalie’s stories, weave together. There’s trauma, guilt, love and loss, as well as bravery and hope. It’s a celebration of the human spirit.”

Jefferies, who grew up in Malaysia and lived for many years in Spain and Italy, worked as a waitress, barmaid, teacher and artist before turning to writing. She explains that one day she decided to write a novel—and that was that.

“It was during the 2008 financial crash, and my husband and I were trying to sell our house in Spain so we could return to England. I had a lot of time on my hands, so I thought, ‘I’m going to write a novel. What should I write about?’ I had not actually considered writing a novel until the day I actually started. I didn’t even know if I could do it.”

Although the novel she wrote was never published, it helped Jefferies find an agent and an interested publisher. She now has nine published books under her belt.

Speaking to the Connection from her home in Gloucestershire, in southwest England, Jefferies shares what else inspires and influences her work. “I like to find an interesting place that really speaks to me, and then the story just emerges,” she says. “I read about the history of the place or I might find old reports or newspapers. I start to understand what might have happened, how people might have lived. That’s when the magic happens.”

Annie Makoff is a freelance journalist from Rochester in Kent, England.

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