Deep, reflective Historical Fiction about trauma and PTSD.
When I started this book I was certain it was just going to be a run-of-the-mill mystery book with some WWII scenery thrown in for the heck of it. Which is fine, I enjoy those books as well. But this one surprised me in a good way because it offered something more, something deeper.
"Some people manage to bury the damage, but it can still break through."
👍 What I Liked 👍
Ending: I was pretty certain I had the ending all figured out. And in large part I did. But there was still a big surprise that not only really moved me but also felt extremely fitting.
Writing: Normally I don't often comment of writing unless something really sticks out - and here something did stick out. Because the writing was so easy and had such a great flow to it. It made reading through this book a comfortable and enjoyable breeze.
Research: As a historian I always care a lot about the amount of research that goes into a historical fiction novel. It was very obvious to me that Goldring did a lot of work when researching this book, which made it a lot more engrossing to read. I loved how how she illuminated a different aspect of WWII with focusing on the evacuated children of London. It made this a lot more original and engaging.
Mental health: Mental health is something I care deeply about and which is often left out of books or glossed over. Especially WWII books seem to neglect this, even though it is pretty clear, that many people, who were deeply affected by the war in one way or another, but have suffered from some kind of mental health issues. Here I really enjoyed that Goldring illuminated the effects of constant terror, bombings, death and war and focused on PTSD.
👎 What I Disliked 👎
Ruby: Sadly, Ruby was not my favourite character. She was passive, meek and naive and that just doesn't appeal to me. I understood why Goldring wrote her that way and the story wouldn't have worked if she was any other kind of character. They just aren't traits that I like in a character, so I never really warmed to Ruby.
ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review