AFFIRM PRESS TO PUBLISH A NEW HISTORICAL FICTION BY PIP WILLIAMS

Affirm Press is thrilled to announce the publication of The German Ward a new, breathtaking historical love story from Pip Williams, the author of global bestsellers The Dictionary of Lost Words and The Bookbinder of Jericho.

The German Ward is a story about desire.

France, 1915. An English nurse and German doctor fall in love. He is a prisoner of war; she has never cared for rules. Their love is visceral and urgent, forbidden and doomed, and it would have gone unrecorded if not for a series of drawings found more than a century later.

At first the drawings seem insignificant, but the woman who finds them glimpses moments of intimacy and can’t look away. The images become part of a puzzle she wants to solve: who were the lovers, what became of them, and what story of war was the artist trying to tell?

In this luminous tale of hope in the midst of darkness, Pip Williams expands the world of her bestselling novels, The Dictionary of Lost Words and The Bookbinder of Jericho. Sensual and sophisticated, The German Ward shows one of Australia’s most significant writers reaching the height of her skills. 

Pip said: 'Some characters insist you tell their story. Tilda Taylor – actress, suffragette and difficult woman – is one of them. But when I began to write it, I realised her story was not what I thought it would be. It has surprised me, moved me and made me blush. Now that it is written, I can’t wait to share it.' 

Pip’s publisher Ruby Ashby Orr added 'This really is Pip Williams's best book yet. Like its predecessors, it's supremely insightful, exploring a moment in history with beauty and intelligence. But the intensity of feeling, the humour and wisdom in this novel have floored me many times over. I think about Tilda and Hugo a lot and their humanity despite the chaos they live through always leaves me hopeful. I know it will do the same for other readers.’

Affirm Press acquired world right to The German Ward which will be released in Australia on 29 September 2026. US rights have been sold to Ballantine and UK rights to Chatto & Windus. Pip Williams is one of Australia’s bestselling authors, with more than 500K books sold through Bookscan.