I was a bit put off when I got the book and it said "stunning sequel to The Misremembered Man"! Fortunately, they weren't that connected because I didn't feel as if I was missing any essential information. The story involved a woman, Bessie, and her son, Herkie (short for
…more Hercules!) who are on the run from Belfast and the Irish Republican Army who mistakenly thinks the pair is hiding some of the IRA's stolen money. The setting is 1981 and feelings are high and bombs are going off.
It took me a while to realize that a major reason I enjoyed this book so much was because of the similarities with the 44 Scotland Street books by Alexander McCall Smith. The characters were funny and weird and the relationships very real. The book often made me laugh out loud and I really cared about the characters. I think I'll go back and read the first book in the series. (less)