Although billed as a true crime book this story has a much heavier focus on the causes and effects of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland starting in the 1960’s. I was vaguely familiar with this period but knew not nearly as much as I now wish I had. It is incredible to me that in all of my history classes we never really touched on what was possibly the biggest news out of Europe at the time. This book does leave you with questions that may well never have an answer to them but that’s ok. It also does not take “a side” when it comes to if the IRA was justified in what happened during that time. It’s early in the year but I’m calling this as one of the best books I’ll read this year.

I honestly do not understand the hype for this book. I never read Lilac Girls and this does not inspire me to do so. Every point of view from the three women felt like three completely different books. At no point did I feel like I understood these characters nor did I come to care for them. There are several plot threads that are simply dropped. The book is also extremely lengthy coming in at 421 pages and you feel every single one of them. For such a long story not a whole lot actually happens. So much of Eliza’s story simply doesn’t add to the plot of the other twos and feels so jarringly out of place that every time I got to one of her chapters I felt like I had missed something. It’s poorly organized, too long, and never draws the reader in. There is also several “twists” at the end that are baffling and never fully explained. Multiple characters who we think are dead somehow show up in the same place at the right time. I read this book for a book club and honestly if I could have I would have DNF’d it.

3.5. It’s not a bad book but it gets repetitive pretty quickly. The author repeats quotes and facts several times throughout and sometimes starts telling the reader things that never he never circled back to.