The Story
With her father killed in action, life for Olive and her family has been torn apart.
In London, in World War II, Olive, her brother Cliff and her big sister Sukie go to the pictures. During an unexpected German bombing raid, Olive can do nothing to stop Sukie vanishing into the dust before being pulled back into an air raid shelter with Cliff. The attack and Sukie’s disappearance scare her mother so much, the two young children are sent to the Devonshire coast as evacuees.
At first they stay with Sukie’s pen pal, Queenie, who runs the village post office, but soon a spiteful new evacuee, Esther, barges in, banishing Olive and Cliff from their new home. Olive and Cliff are bundled into the lighthouse keeper’s care where nothing is as it seems.
Where has Olive’s beloved Sukie gone? Are the German bombs at bay? What are the secrets of Esther’s traumatic past? And does the mysterious lighthouse keeper have any connection to Sukie?
My Thoughts
Throughout the book you feel as though you are Olive and are sharing her war torn experience. The book teaches you that evacuees still suffered air raids and unforgiving bombs whilst their loved ones disappeared and died. Emma Carroll’s writing holds your attention with a gripping storyline.
