Out of the Depths. A Flower in Winter, #2

A novel of refuge, resilience, and the unexpected families forged by warWhen the De Ruyter, a shot-up Dutch paddle-steamer, limps into Chatham in May 1940, its decks crowded with terrified Jewish refugees, the lives of three strangers are changed forever. Sam da Souza, fourteen years old and already marked by tragedy, carries the weight of a family he may never see again. Jannie Jansen, an aging marine engineer, has lost the closest friend he ever had in the chaos of Dunkirk.
Now he clings to the promise he made to protect the refugee boy beside him. Miriam Cohen, elegant, grieving, and fiercely compassionate, believes she has left the heartbreak of London behind, only to find her purpose reignited by the fragile young life placed in her care. Safe for a moment in the wild beauty of Cornwall, the three try to rebuild themselves. Sam finds unexpected hope on a windswept farm by the sea; Jannie and Miriam discover a love neither expected; and together they attempt to stitch meaning back into a world unravelled by war.
But duty calls them apart, and the shadows of the conflict are never far behind. As London braces for the Blitz and Sam begins to heal, each must face the truth: survival is not just about escaping danger, it is about holding on to love, courage, and the promise of return. Moving, intimate, and profoundly human, Out of the Depths is a sweeping wartime story of found family, second chances, and the small acts of kindness that save us.