Before the Mountain Falls

1939. When pregnant evacuee Norma Sparrow arrives in a remote Welsh valley, she brings more than just her battered suitcase. She holds close a secret that could destroy the fragile new life she’s desperate to build…

Fleeing London as war breaks, Norma has reinvented herself as Mrs Finch – a respectable young widow. It’s a lie born of desperation: pregnant, penniless, and abandoned by the man who promised to marry her, she has nowhere else to turn. In the heart of the Welsh hills, far from the shame of her past, she might finally find the fresh start she’s always dreamed of.

But keeping secrets in the close-knit valley of Pontybrenin proves impossible. Billeted with a stern church minister and his family, Norma finds herself drawn into a world she never expected. She finds friendship in unlikely places and a love that makes her believe in second chances. Yet beneath all these fragile new feelings, she must face her deepest fear – the one that’s haunted her since childhood: that she’ll fail her baby the way her own mother failed her.

As war darkens over Britain and the tight-knit Welsh community faces losing their mountain homes, Norma discovers that the courage to stay – and to love – might be the bravest choice she’s ever made.

A deeply poignant tale of resilience, found family and second chances – heartwarming, captivating and impossible to forget. Perfect for fans of When the World Fell Silent.