WWII story told in a luxury hotel capsule

The Avallon is a premier hotel, designed to give its guests what they want before they even know it.

- Myle Yan Tay

THE LISTENERS By Maggie Stiefvater Historical fiction/Headline Review/ Paperback/432 pages/$34.95

But when the property is commandeered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the US State Department to host a bevy of diplomats from Axis powers, June Hudson, the hotel's general manager, is forced to question the purpose of luxury now that war has come through her doors.

While the Avallon may not be real, American writer Maggie Stiefvater's The Listeners pulls from historical events. After the outbreak of World War II, the US had to relocate envoys from enemy states to ensure the diplomats' safety.

And so, hoteliers across the nation were deputised, not to kill the enemy but to pamper them while negotiations were under way. It is a ripe setting for conflict and tension that Stiefvater exploits to the fullest effects in her ambitious adult debut.

Despite the scale of the novel, Stiefvater makes the Avallon feel fully realised and, importantly, a place where readers can comfortably walk into. Just as Hudson welcomes her guests, Stiefvater invites readers into this world with confidence and elegance.