England, 1940: A tear-jerking wartime tale of an orphaned baby who needs a home, and the woman who risks everything to provide it. Fans of Before We Were Yours, Wives of War and Diney Costeloe will be utterly swept away by this heartbreaking – yet beautifully hopeful – World War Two page-turner.
With the war raging, Lily has learned not to take life for granted. In a time of such tragedy, every day is a gift. Her husband is a soldier, fighting to save their country, and she prays that she will survive – to one day welcome him home.
One sweltering July night, bombs rain down. Lily and her dear friend Ethel, who is nine months pregnant, seek refuge in a shelter. Miraculously, a baby girl is born to the sound of ear-splitting shrieks and explosions in the distance. Once the raid quietens, Lily races into the house to find the newborn a blanket. But then the unthinkable happens, planes thundering right over the rooftops…
When Lily rouses, finding herself amongst broken glass and crumbled brick, she is devastated to discover that Ethel has been killed – leaving little Joy behind. With tears rolling down her face, Lily makes a split-second decision.
To save the orphaned child, Lily must tell a heartbreaking lie, a secret that she holds close to her chest for years. But when the truth comes out, whose lives will be destroyed? And will she ever be forgiven?
Shirley Dickson was born and grew up in the seaside town of South Shields. She left school at fifteen and can’t remember a time when she didn’t write. She entered her first short story competition in ‘School Friend’ when she was eleven. After Shirley retired from auxiliary nursing, she was able to devote her time to writing.
After living in various locations, she settled under the big skies of Northumberland and has lived with her husband in the same house for over forty years. Shirley has three daughters and four grandchildren and likes nothing better than family gatherings.
The Orphan's Secret by Shirley DicksonMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
**Content warning for this book. Miscarriage, stillbirth and infant loss are dealt with.**
As you might guess from a book called the Orphan's secret. This book is one that will play on your emotions and pull on your heartstrings. From the blurb, you might be thinking that the main characters in the book are Ethel and Karl. While they do feature in the story and play important roles, this is really John and Lily's story. In fact, we don't meet either Ethel or Karl until we are around halfway through.
This novel is set in wartime and much of the hardships that our characters face are due to that. Dealing with husbands sent overseas, women finding their role in this strange world of the home front, bombing and rationing. A lot of the action also takes place with the lumberjills, the young women who went out to fell trees for the war effort. While I had heard of and knew a little about the women's land army, this is the first time that I'd come across the lumberjills. Really, what a lot of our women folk faced during that period is hard to comprehend.
I don't want to give away too much of what happens in this book, but it is certainly one that sends you on an emotional rollercoaster. I had an idea of what might go on and in some ways, I think that helped. Although I was emotionally invested in the characters, guessing what was coming helped make it less upsetting.
This was an interesting and gripping read and one that I really enjoyed.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and given voluntarily.
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