by Maureen C: This is a heartfelt story of a young woman trying to make a better life for her children. Ciara Fay is dealing with emotional and verbal abuse very day of her life. She has finally had it. Her home is not a safe place for her two young daughters. She grabs the clothes on the outside clothes line and packs a few things and hurriedly gets her children in the car before they are discovered missing. But where will she go she has no plan. She has little money and no one to help her. Her mother and sister live in England. On the outside her husband Ryan, looks like the perfect husband and doting father., but on the inside he is abusive and controlling. He keeps Ciara in isolation from her family and friends.
Ciara tries to flee to England to visit her mother and sister but is stopped by security as there are blocks on the children’s passports. She cannot bring them out of Ireland. With no place to go Ciara experiences the broken housing system in Ireland. They sleep in the car until they find an emergency hotel room to go to. Ciara hopes this is temporary and she can get a rental very soon. She is on a list for housing but no one ever calls. Meanwhile Ryan finds her and threatens her if she doesn’t return his children to him.
This is an emotional read to say the least. It was heart pounding. Roisin O’Donnell does a marvelous job portraying the fear and hopelessness of the situation. I was cheering Ciara on the whole time. This is a book you will not be able to put down. In the author’s acknowledgements she states “to anyone trapped in a place that doesn’t feel like home, and anyone who has asked the question why don’t you just leave. This is the book for you. ”
Wonderful book club read
