from the back of the book:

Through the eyes of Dolores, the youngest of Frankie and Mary Gauci's six daughters, we're offered a keyhole view of the Maltese family in Cardiff, Wales, that is singeing at the edges. Dolores presents an unsparing portrayal of the underworld of the 1960s Tiger Bay, the coarse sensuality of life among the docks, the gaming rooms and cafes, the crumbling homes and burning secrets that tear this family apart. Thirty years later, a reunion with her estranged sisters brings Dolores face-to-face with the betrayals that have haunted her past, where the truth is finally and tragically played out. The Hiding Place is a mesmerizing exploration of how family, like fire, can shift suddenly from something that provides light and warmth to a dangerous conflagration, sparing no one in its path.

Told from a 5-year-olds point of view, Part I of The Hiding Place is very choppy and the story-telling bounces around between different characters and time periods. This choppy, sporadic style gives a sense of disfunction and uncertainty which aligns with how the Gauci's live. They live in squalor. Frankie, the father, spends most of his time out of the house, gambling away any money the family may have in search of a better life. Mary, the mother, can barely keep herself together, her life seeming to unravel as she barely keeps up with the house and her six girls. And the girls who each add, in their own unique way, to the chaos of everyday life.

Thirty years later, all the girls find themselves together again for the first time where the ghosts of the past resurface and have to be dealt with.

Adding to the Books with Legs bookbox

Chose from the "Books with Legs" bookbox.

I found the book hard to follow at times. The storytelling was disjointed and I found it hard to keep up with the characters and their relationships to each other, particularly in the beginning.

A wishlist tag sent to mrsjones in OH.

Arrived in the mail. Can’t wait to read it. Thank you!