Review: Hope Against Hope by Sheena Wilkinson

Hope Against Hope is set in Ireland in 1921. It discusses different themes such as the tensions between Protestants and Catholics in Ulster and the violence around it. The book also has LGBTQ+ themes as the main character contemplates her sexuality throughout the story, however, this is not the main theme.

The main character is a teenage girl called Polly. She lives with her dad and her brother, and is very close with her cousin Catherine. Catherine moves to Belfast to go to a shorthand college, which leaves Polly feeling envious. When she is abused by her brother she runs away to Belfast, to a girls’ hostel called Helen’s Hope. While in Belfast, we see her character arc develop as she becomes less ignorant of the troubles in Ulster during this time period.

I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written and gave a really good perspective on what happened in Ireland at this time. It was very historically accurate as well, which was really nice to see. Wilkinson’s writing style manages to really immerse you in the book. By the end, I felt as though all the characters were firm friends.

All in all this was an enjoyable read that managed to tackle some of what happened in Belfast in 1921. While geared more towards middle grade readers I would recommend it to anyone from around fifth class to second year.

Louisa Tyrell, 14