This was a steady paced book about a terrible period of time in Belfast during the Second World War. I’m not a huge reader of wartime fiction but like it as an occasional change and this was definitely different as it opened my eyes to the worst of the atrocities in Northern Ireland during this time. This was very well researched but in telling the tale primarily through the eyes of sisters Emma and Audrey it gave it a very personal touch. I found some of the chapters a bit whimsical and irrelevant especially those where the sisters mum is thinking back to her first love, it just didn’t really fit or add anything. It was interesting to see things through the eyes of six year old Maisie in a couple of chapters, I think a few other viewpoints might have been good to read. The sisters themselves were most represented in terms of their love lives although each had interesting elements to them. For me this was best for the historical side rather than the personal side but it was certainly a thought provoking and insightful read. 7/10