Many of The Whalebone Theatre’s key events occur during World War II, which took place from 1939 to 1945. While the book itself is fictional, Quinn conjures a sense of verisimilitude by framing her characters’ experiences within real-world events and widely studied historical conflicts. For example, Digby participates in the notorious Dunkirk evacuation in 1940, in which many British troops were killed.

As the Seagrave family adapts to the hardships of wartime, Quinn focuses particularly on developing and celebrating the often-overlooked yet vital roles that British women played in the war effort. Historically, women served as intelligence operatives and codebreakers and made significant contributions to victory on the home front. Through Cristabel’s character, the text illustrates the crucial roles that female undercover agents played in espionage operations during and after the war. For example, many women were recruited by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) to work behind enemy lines. These agents collected information, conducted covert operations, and disrupted enemy activities. Cristabel’s activities in Nazi-occupied France echo those of notable historical examples such as Vera Atkins, a Romanian-born British intelligence agent who was active in France during World War II. Like Cristabel, Atkins played a vital role in undercover operations, and in the war’s aftermath, she also investigated the fates of other female agents who went missing during the conflict.