The Tiger Claw
CBC Books | CBC | Posted: March 20, 2017 7:00 PM | Last Updated: April 26, 2017
Shauna Singh Baldwin
Shauna Singh Baldwin first heard of the mysterious story of Noor Inayat Khan (codename Madeleine) at The Safe House, an espionage-themed restaurant in Milwaukee. A former Dutch spy told her of the brave and beautiful Indo-American woman who left her family in London, England to become a spy in Nazi-occupied France during the Second World War.
The story immediately intrigued Baldwin, inspiring her to travel to Europe, seek out the places where Noor lived, interview the people who knew her and discover more about the enigmatic woman. The Giller Prize finalist The Tiger Claw — Baldwin's follow-up novel to her award-winning What The Body Remembers — was born from the silences, conflicting stories and significant gaps she discovered along the way. (From Vintage Canada)
This novel by Shauna Singh Baldwin was a finalist for the 2004 Giller Prize (now known as the Scotiabank Giller Prize).
From the book
December moved in, taking up residence with Noor in her cell, and freezing the radiator.
Cold coiled in the bowl of her pelvis, turning shiver to quake as she lay beneath her blanket on the cot. Above, snow drifted against the glass and bars. Shreds of thoughts, speculations, obsessions ... some glue still held her fragments together.
The flap door clanged down.
"Herr Vogel..."
The rest, in rapid German, was senseless.
Silly hope reared inside; she reined it in.
The guard placed something on the thick, jutting tray, something invisible in the dingy half-light. Soup probably. She didn't care.
She heard a clunk and a small swish.
From The Tiger Claw by Shauna Singh Baldwin ©2004. Published by Penguin Books.