These Days

WINNER OF THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION WINNER OF THE E. M. FORSTER AWARD AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4s BOOK AT BEDTIME Two sisters. Four nights. One City. April, 1941. Belfast has escaped the worst of the war - so far. Following the lives of sisters Emma and Audrey - one engaged to be married, the other in a secret relationship with another woman - as they try to survive the horrors of the Belfast Blitz, These Days is an unforgettable novel about lives lived under duress, about family, and about how we try to stay true to ourselves 'Brilliantly evokes wartime love and heartbreak.' Guardian 'Breathtakingly good. A novel of enormous heart; full of luminous passages of prose.' Observer 'Meticulously researched, perfectly imagined, full of compassion and emotional truth.' CLARE CHAMBERS

WINNER OF THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION WINNER OF THE E. M. FORSTER AWARD AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4s BOOK AT BEDTIME Two sisters. Four nights. One City. April, 1941. Belfast has escaped the worst of the war - so far. Following the lives of sisters Emma and Audrey - one engaged to be married, the other in a secret relationship with another woman - as they try to survive the horrors of the Belfast Blitz, These Days is an unforgettable novel about lives lived under duress, about family, and about how we try to stay true to ourselves 'Brilliantly evokes wartime love and heartbreak.' Guardian 'Breathtakingly good. A novel of enormous heart; full of luminous passages of prose.' Observer 'Meticulously researched, perfectly imagined, full of compassion and emotional truth.' CLARE CHAMBERS

"Adroit, precise storytelling, atmospheric and satisfying; These Days is a novel of real substance." --Hilary Mantel, Booker Prize-winning author of Wolf Hall WINNER OF THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 2023 One of Lit Hub's and Zibby Owens's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 - One of The Washington Post 's 10 Noteworthy Books of April 2025 - One of NPR's Best Books of 2025 An "exquisitely lyrical" (Louise Kennedy) WWII novel from a singular Irish writer following two sisters over the course of four nights as they reckon with their futures in crumbling Belfast. April 1941: Belfast has escaped the worst of the Second World War--so far. Over the next two months, it will be so destroyed from above that people will say, in horror, "My God, Belfast is finished." Many won't make it through, and those who do will be forever changed. Living amid the rubble are sisters Emma and Audrey. One is engaged to be married; the other is in a secret relationship with another woman. As the bombs fall, and tomorrow feels further and further away, these young women must grapple with the cultural expectations standing firm around them, and try to seize control of their destinies. After all, Emma thinks, if one is to survive, one must survive for something. Featuring the voices of the community--from their mother to the wee girl down the road-- These Days is a timeless and poignant tale of interrupted girlhood, life under duress, and the struggle to stay true to ourselves. Winner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Lucy Caldwell's portrait of the Belfast Blitz is to be cherished. "What a visceral, powerful, authentic novel! It's hard to believe Lucy Caldwell didn't actually live through the Belfast Blitz, it's so accurately depicted. I felt I was there with the bombs, the blood, the chaos, the fear, and the resilience." --Tracy Chevalier, New York Times bestselling author of Girl With A Pearl Earring

"Adroit, precise storytelling, atmospheric and satisfying; These Days is a novel of real substance." --Hilary Mantel, Booker Prize-winning author of Wolf Hall WINNER OF THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 2023 One of Lit Hub's and Zibby Owens's Most Anticipated Books of 2025 - One of The Washington Post 's 10 Noteworthy Books of April 2025 - One of NPR's Best Books of 2025 An "exquisitely lyrical" (Louise Kennedy) WWII novel from a singular Irish writer following two sisters over the course of four nights as they reckon with their futures in crumbling Belfast. April 1941: Belfast has escaped the worst of the Second World War--so far. Over the next two months, it will be so destroyed from above that people will say, in horror, "My God, Belfast is finished." Many won't make it through, and those who do will be forever changed. Living amid the rubble are sisters Emma and Audrey. One is engaged to be married; the other is in a secret relationship with another woman. As the bombs fall, and tomorrow feels further and further away, these young women must grapple with the cultural expectations standing firm around them, and try to seize control of their destinies. After all, Emma thinks, if one is to survive, one must survive for something. Featuring the voices of the community--from their mother to the wee girl down the road-- These Days is a timeless and poignant tale of interrupted girlhood, life under duress, and the struggle to stay true to ourselves. Winner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Lucy Caldwell's portrait of the Belfast Blitz is to be cherished. "What a visceral, powerful, authentic novel! It's hard to believe Lucy Caldwell didn't actually live through the Belfast Blitz, it's so accurately depicted. I felt I was there with the bombs, the blood, the chaos, the fear, and the resilience." --Tracy Chevalier, New York Times bestselling author of Girl With A Pearl Earring