It was inevitable that Kathryn Atwood and I would find each other because our interests overlap. She has written multiple books of historical non-fiction for young adults on women and war. In her newest book, The Belgian Girls, she shifts to fiction, using her deep knowledge to create a vivid picture of life in occupied Brussels in the two world wars. She intertwines stories of two young women, a generation apart, who play similar roles in resisting the Germans to create a work that is thrilling, bittersweet and heart rending.

I am delighted to have Kathryn back on the Margins to talk about The Belgian Girls

Photo credit: Helen Van Essendelft

You have written several collective biographies on women and war, including Women Heroes of World War I and Women Heroes of World War II.  What inspired you to make the leap from non-fiction to fiction?

Kate Quinn. She utilized my World War I book a bit while writing The Alice Network and sent me a signed copy as a thank-you. I had not read historical fiction since my 20-something Leon Uris phase, but I was completely enthralled with Kate’s portrayal of Louise de Bettignies. It made me wonder if I could similarly illuminate the life of another First World War spy, Gabrielle Petit, my favorite subject in Women Heroes of World War I. I hope I have succeeded!

Is your research process different for fiction than for non-fiction?   What types of sources do you rely on to create rich fictional characters from obscure, or poorly documented historical figures?

I wrote the Gabrielle Petit chapters first, using the 2015 biography by Dr. Sophie de Schaepdrijver as a reference. But much of the basic setting for each timeline was already clear in my mind because of my familiarity with both German occupations of Belgium.

What was slightly different was the necessity of using maps: I wanted to move my characters around realistically, hoping I could avoid what I often see in Chicago-set films: a northbound character driving south on Lake Shore Drive, etc.

What was completely different about writing The Belgian Girls was the freedom to create new characters and to imagine what a historical figure might have said or done, the freedom to fill in the blanks with plausible scenarios, thoughts,  and conversations.



Are the two young women at the heart of The Belgian Girls based on real life characters?

Gabrielle Petit was a real woman who spied on the Germans for British Intelligence during the First World War. Second World War-era Julienne is fictional.

How do you walk the line between historical fact and fiction in a novel?

I tried to provide each scene and character with a solid historical foundation but once inside the room (or the character’s head), I was free to let my imagination flow. It was great fun attempting to access what very well might have happened, what might have been said within a specific historical framework.

What is most challenging or  exciting about researching women in the first half of the 20th century?

Their capabilities were largely underestimated by their male peers. It’s not easy to fulfill your potential when the men in your life don’t believe in you, so the non-domestic accomplishments of women during the two world wars is inspiring and really quite astonishing. Their governments obviously found it so, which is why a plethora of nations gave female citizens the right to vote immediately following the First World War.

What was the most surprising thing you learned working on this book?  

I’d received compliments on the quality of my nonfiction, but I didn’t realize how natural fiction writing would feel. I didn’t do this on my own though; I greatly benefited from some excellent editorial suggestions. Every novelist needs beta readers and a good developmental editor!

Before Kathryn wrote six award-winning young adult books on women and war for the Chicago Review Press, her poetry and book reviews appeared in a wide variety of print and electronic journals, including Afterimage: A Journal of Arts and Cultural Criticism, PopMatters, and War, Literature, and the Arts. Her admiration for the European resisters of both world wars inspired her to write her first novel, The Belgian Girls.

Interested in learning more about Kathryn and her work?  Check out her website at:  https://kathrynjatwood.com/