The bulk of the novel takes place in Madrid, 1957, during the 36-year dictatorship of Francisco Franco. The history of Spain is something I’m not familiar with at all. I genuinely don’t remember ever being taught about him in school, so it was truly a combination of a gripping read and a learning opportunity. Like many novels based on history, it’s a story about forced silence, self-preservation and secrets.

I think it’s one of my favourite historical novels I’ve read to date. There was so much complexity and layers packed into it and I found myself really feeling for the characters. So much so that I sobbed at the end and haven’t been able to pick up the next book in my TBR (which is also a historical novel by Ruta Sepetys, uh oh) because I’m still thinking of this one. Having read four out of her five works, I can confidently say that Ruta Sepetys is one of my two favourite historical fiction authors.