Another Day Gone – Eliza Graham

Historical Fiction
5*s

I chose this book purely based on the author, back in 2010 I read a book called Jubilee which has proved to be one that I have carried with me ever since so I leapt at the chance to read an advance copy of this one. When preparing my weekly excerpt post, I was instantly drawn into the tale of a bomb going off in Coventry, shortly before the start of World War II, and promptly read the first three chapters before getting back to the job in hand.

So did the rest of the book live up to the opening – of course it did, I loved this story which is full of secrets, shame and consequences that rippled down the years.

The main part of this story is set in 2005 Sara is caught up in the London bombing, her partner is away working, out of reach in a jungle, and so she seeks comfort in her childhood home on the banks of the Thames. Her grandfather died a few years back but the house has never been sold because Sarah’s elder sister Polly, who will share the proceeds, has been missing for over ten years. Bridie the family housekeeper, the girls’ nanny has moved into a care home and the house feels empty and a little neglected but far safer to Sara than the scenes she has fled. Sara and Polly had a secure loving upbringing with their Grandfather and Bridie after the death of their parents, when both were too small to remember them and although the house was a little isolated the two sisters were really close until Polly began to draw away.

But in the beginning there was a bomb, set in Coventry which killed some and maimed others, a young girl who witnessed a man with the bicycle shortly before it exploded, and gave evidence in court which led to the only sentence given for such an act, death. This is the story of the repercussions and the retribution that would follow, spawning in its wake lies and half-truths as well as the stain of shame in a time where being able to hold your head high was the most important commodity the poor had.

Eliza Graham spins this multi-stranded tale with a deft and confident touch, the periodic details sprinkled sparingly, but there nonetheless, giving colour to the key time periods of 1939, the early 1990s and 2005. The characters are distinct and realistic in form. Be warned though, this is no magic wand story, the author has under-lined the realism by not giving everyone a happy ever after, what she does instead is give them the truth, a story that at times it can be hard to comprehend from a distance, a time where standards and expectations were unforgivingly imposed by the community and the church.

I really enjoy books about consequences that occur far later than the initial act, decision or mistake but to pull this type of story off, you need great characters, ones whose behaviour and actions are recognisable as realistic, given the circumstances, at any point in the story. Eliza Graham has this absolutely nailed. I was transfixed and reached that stage of reading where I wanted to know the ending but simultaneously wanted to stay with the characters, for just a little bit longer.

I’d like to thank the publishers Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read a copy of Another Day Gone ahead of publication on 22 November 2016. This review is my unbiased thanks to them, and of course, Eliza Graham for her fantastic story.

First Published UK: 22 November 2016
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
No of Pages: 320
Genre: Historical Fiction (1939-2005)
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