Devotion

Tom loves Nenna. Nenna loves her father. Her father loves Mussolini.

Ideals and conviction are not always so clear in the murky years between the end of WW1 and the beginning of WW2. For Tom and and Kitty Locke, children of the damaged WW1 generation, visiting their cousin Nenna in Rome is a pure joy. For their adoptive parents, Nadine and Riley, the ground is still shifting underfoot.

Nobody knew in 1919 that the children they were bearing would be just ripe for the next war in 1939; nobody knew, in 1935, the implications of an Italian Jewish family supporting Mussolini. Meanwhile Peter Locke and Mabel Zachary have found each other again in London, itself a city reborn but riddled with its own intolerances. As the heat rises across Europe, voices grow louder and everyone must brace themselves once more to decide what should bring them together, and what must drive them apart.

This is the third part of the series which begins with ‘My Dear I Wanted to Tell You’ and ‘The Heroes’ Welcome’..

From the Press

Young has conjured up another rich historical novel and I longed to know the fate of this tragic cast of friends. These characters demand devotion ― they’ll get it, too

The Times

A stirring story of war and its consequences … tender and convincing

Mail on Sunday

Elegantly written and compulsively readable, Devotion manages to be both thrilling and heartfelt – a real treasure of a book

Jami Attenberg, author of All Grown Up

Young expertly weaves politics, race and loyalty into the family’s narrative… A sumptuous portrayal of love and war in fascist Rome

Observer

Powerful and evocative … a must-read

Woman and Home

Deeply moving … a great 20th-century saga

Saga Magazine

A gorgeously compelling story of family, love and race

Prima Magazine

From the readers

I hated coming to the end of this. The story, the characters are so engaging, and in this one there is obviously lots of scope for a fourth one in this sequence. (Does anyone know if she intends to write a follow on to this). This has been my favourite of this sequence (“My dear I wanted to tell you” “”Heroes’ Welcome” ) It touches my heart and conscience personally as so many characters hide from important things from the people closest to them, trying to be kind. The young love of Nenna and Tom is beautifully written, and the rehabilitation of Peter and ultimately his relationships with his children is fantastic. Absolutely gripping, strong believable story writing.

Published by The Borough Press Buy here