117: Jane Thynne – Writing history: how to define truth

“To control the past they edited history, and to control the future they edited literature." The words of Michael’s guest today, the author Jane Thynne. While they belong to the setting of Jane’s brilliant thriller, Widowland, for many these words have unsettlingly felt closer to the world of facts than they do to fiction. Little wonder that Widowland was chosen by The Times as its 'Book of the Month' adding to acclaim as the "most important feminist novel in decades": an accolade that more than delivers on Jane's passion for historical fiction and telling the stories of the 20th century through the eyes of the women who shaped it.