HOPE AGAINST HOPE

Residents of Helen’s Hope, a Belfast girls’ hostel, attempt to find unity in a divided Ireland of 1921.

Fifteen-year-old Polly is both horrified and envious at the news that Catherine, her sweet, befuddled 16-year-old cousin, is being sent to attend a commercial college in Belfast, ostensibly to learn shorthand but mostly to keep her away from her sweetheart, who’s rumored to be fighting for Irish independence. Leo, Polly’s older brother, came home emotionally damaged from fighting England’s side in the Great War, bringing with him the flu that killed their mother. When tensions between the siblings escalate to the point of violence, Polly runs away to Catherine’s side, where she finds companionship and purpose at Helen’s Hope, a community of young women fostering “tolerance and acceptance”—ideals that threaten the neighborhood’s sense of propriety. Polly is impetuous and resourceful, Catherine finds her footing, and the characters, era, and historical setting come to life effortlessly. The complicated political situation is a large part of these characters’ lives and is treated as such but doesn’t bog down the narrative. Polly has a “pash” on fellow hostel resident Stella and eventually realizes girls really might fall in love with other girls. Characters from Wilkinson’s previous novels appear, but this work stands alone.

Entertaining, vivid, and sympathetic.