A Daughter’s War
Bolton, England, 1939. Nasty brute Ivan Rushmore keeps daughter Renee, aged 17, on such a short lead that she hardly knows what day it is, having neither newspapers nor radio in the house. Mam fled long ago, thus Dad has had all of Renee to himself since she turned 14. The poor lass is only allowed out to the local shops, and woe betide her if there’s any dilly-dally or chit-chat. Despite Ivan’s threats, she befriends an aunt-like neighbour who knew her Mam. Then war is declared. At breaking point, Renee successfully executes an escape plan but, even in her new happy life, feels so tainted that she cannot accept boyfriend Jimmy’s proposal. His reply brings another of several ‘aah’ moments but, just when she’s feeling safer, Jimmy is conscripted and more worryingly, her letters to him go unanswered. Further twists reawaken her nightmare, and she must again dig brave and deep to extricate herself.
From incestuous rapes to an inglorious yet fitting retribution, the narrative nips along in this story full of local knowledge and dialect. The rape scenes themselves have a credibility that only a female writer could bring, as Renee seeks out her go-to happy head space to numb the continual grotesque physical interference. The perils, chaos and terror of a night-time bombing raid are excellently conveyed, and the denouement isn’t certain until the very end. A tale of violence, love, and friendship, well worth a read.
