A review by mstall_
These Days by Lucy Caldwell

emotional hopeful medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Emma and Audrey are two young sisters living in Belfast during 1941. Emma, volunteering for the First Aid Corps, is secretly in love with her supervisor Sylvia. Audrey, recently engaged, is beginning to feel pangs of deep sadness at the thought of having to leave her job and become a wife and mother. The story takes place over four days during the bombing of Belfast in April of 1941. The tragedy and horror of the blitz will force Emma and Audrey to make choices that could change their lives forever.

At only 288 pages, These Days was a quick and easy read. I found the story very compelling and the writing to be engaging. These Days navigates themes of trauma, loss, grief, feminism and sexuality all through the lens of the Belfast Blitz. I would highly recommend this book!