These Days by Lucy Caldwell is a satisfying and emotional read. It's a clever mix of stories that give rewarding depth within a relatively short novel. The dark excitement of the danger of the Blitz bombing is complemented by the human relationships, family and romantic, of the people trying to deal with it. The relationship between the two women is particularly moving as it must have been a transgressive idea in the first half of the twentieth century and stressful enough at the best of times. The London Blitz is of course well documented but the stories of the destruction of many other cities around the United Kingdom during WW2 are much neglected and it is a welcome setting for a novel. It helps, of course, that it is so well written. The prose is clever and constantly engaging which in turn makes the heart breaking situations come alive for the reader. I'm looking forward to whatever Lucy Caldwell decides to write next.