A Sister’s Wish

Written by Donna Douglas
Review by Clare Lehovsky

In Second World War Hull during the Blitz, people’s lives are being disrupted by the constant bombing, and they must also live with the consequences of their actions. Iris Fletcher is wracked with guilt at the death of her daughter and her best friend and is trying to salvage a life for herself while supporting her two other children. In the same family, Ruby Maguire has her demons coming back to haunt her, while her estranged mother is attempting to get back into her and her sister Pearl’s lives. These characters must assert themselves so that they can find what is truly important to them.

The novel is well written and researched, so it pulls the reader in to experience Hull during the bombing. It is interesting to read about the Women’s Voluntary Service and its role on the home front. The bombing is brought to the foreground as the main characters are massively affected by it, and any hope of a normal life has come to a standstill as streets around them are obliterated. The characters are believable throughout, and the reader can empathise with them. It is a good story with twists and turns and fully pictures life in wartime England.