The Walk

Author: Emma Marns

Genre: Historical

Publisher: Cranthorpe Millner Publishers

Date Published: 2023

Book Length: 354

Star Rating: 5 ***** I loved it and highly recommend

About Book: ‘The two girls sat in the back of the car, their destination unknown and their crimes worse than murder.’

In November 1979, Ailbe and Maire disappear from their rural village in Ireland, never to return. Pregnant out of wedlock, they are now outcasts from society.

Believing they will at least have each other, the girls are devastated when Ailbe is dumped at the gates of a place known only as ‘Bessborough’, whilst Maire is forced to continue on to Dublin, to be cared for by the relatives of her married lover.

What follows is an enduring tale of family, love, friendship, secrecy, self-sacrifice and the extraordinary endurance of women in the most appalling of circumstances.

My Thoughts: The walk by Emma Marns is a historical boob based in Ireland in the late 70’s. Although, I am not Irish I was the same age and remember the period well. Mars has researched the period well and exquisitely described events and characters. It is a very emotive subject, sensitively dealt with and I didn’t want to put the book down.

The book is sad and horrific in parts, but it is also about family, hope, friendship and secrets.

Marns prose was beautifully and sympathetically written in a way that told the story in the best way possible from all points of view.

The story switched from different points of view and different timelines, which added to the tension and enabled you to see the events from different sides and made things much clearer.

In Conclusion a great read that I couldn’t put down that was both sad, happy, poignant and extremely thought provoking and one I recommend.