While perusing titles on my Kindle, I stumbled upon a sample that captivated me instantly: “At that time, my world revolved slowly around a few presences that seemed firm and eternal. My mother had always been the most solid of them all. She was a dressmaker, working in a shop with a distinguished clientele.” I felt an immediate connection with the story as if each sentence resonated with a piece of my narrative. Upon finishing it, I realized that this novel is akin to a loom, weaving our female histories with small but significant fragments.

In the beginning, Sira was a young woman with modest expectations, yet she remained open to whatever opportunities her time and circumstances presented. Before turning 20, she understood the societal expectations: to find a man, fall in love, commit, and build a family for eternity. However, as she described it, a typewriter would alter her tranquil days as an apprentice dressmaker.

After embarking on a lengthy journey and leaving behind her city, country, family, and the small life she had grown accustomed to, she decided to follow her deceitful lover to Morocco. The tumultuous events of those chaotic days led her to become a prominent informant during World War II. The profound impact of that global conflict reverberated through a depressed Spain under the rule of dictator Franco.

Sira encounters the wives of prominent German and Spanish commanders in her renowned atelier. There, the indiscretions and rumours circulating among her sophisticated clientele provide her with the material she soon transforms into fabric fragments and patterns, which she sends as codes to undercover agents.

She never imagined herself leaving her neighbourhood, let alone her city or country. Similarly, she never envisioned the woman she would become or the feats she would accomplish, not only to sustain herself but also to uncover her true identity. Sira, courageous beyond her fears, allowed herself to evolve into the most refined and delicate woman, while also proving to be the most cunning agent working for a British undercover agency.

This is a remarkable piece by María Dueñas. It’s a story where she illuminates the journey of a young woman dressmaker amidst the backdrop of war, where Sira unveils key characters closely associated with the Franco regime.

However, this story is far from over because women are still scripting their destinies, and the Spanish author has yet to cut another fabric from Sira’s atelier for a second book in this promising novel. It stands as an excellent espionage saga set in the 20th century.