Sisters of Belfast A novel

Twins Aelish and Isabel were raised at Belfast's Sisters of Bethlehem Orphanage after their parents were killed in the 1941 bombing of Belfast. As a teenager, Isabel flees the abbey, leaving only a note for her sister, who is preparing to take her vows. When Isabel becomes ill, her husband sends for Aelish, who journeys to Newfoundland to care for Isabel and her two children. Isabel recovers, and the sisters grow close again, then tragedy strikes, bringing both women back to Ireland. Staying at the abbey brings back devastating memories for Isabel, who gradually begins to share the reason she left Belfast, unraveling decades' worth of hidden secrets that involve the abbey's spiritual leaders as well as the sisters themselves. Maure's heart-wrenching debut draws from the recent investigations into Ireland's mother and baby homes, where pregnant women were treated with cruelty. The use of multiple points of view adds perspective as well as emotional heft, and the hopeful ending points to a better way forward for all. Readers of Lisa Wingate's novels will appreciate Maure's skill at putting a personal spin on a tragic historical event.