Name: The Trick to Time
ISBN: 9781444839920

Kit De Waal

Mona is a young Irish girl in the big city, with the thrill of a new job and a room of her own in a busy boarding house. On her first night out in 1970s Birmingham, she meets William, a charming Irish boy with an easy smile and an open face. They embark upon a passionate affair and a whirlwind marriage, before a sudden tragedy tears them apart. Decades later, Mona pieces together the memories of the years that separate them. But can she ever learn to love again?

The Trick to Time

'There is a trick to time. You can make it expand or you can make it contract. You can make the most of what you have . . . ' Mona is a young Irish girl in the big city, with the thrill of a new job and a room of her own in a busy boarding house. On her first night out in 1970s Birmingham, she meets William, a charming Irish boy with an easy smile and an open face. They embark upon a passionate affair, a whirlwind marriage - before a sudden tragedy tears them apart. Decades later, Mona pieces together the memories of the years that separate them. But can she ever learn to love again?

Margarete 

I found the first third of the book quite boring and was very close to putting it down. In the end, I am glad I finished it as it has some very well-written and touching parts later on. However, the blurb is a bit misleading and I expected the title of the book to be sort of a leitmotif, but it only plays a small role in my opinion.

Kit de Waal

'There's a trick to time. You can make it expand or you can make it contract. Make it shorter or make it longer . . .' Some moments you want to last forever. Some moments shape a life. For Mona, it's the joy of playing on a Wexford beach as a young girl, next to her family's cottage overlooking the Irish sea. The thrill of moving to Birmingham with a new job and a room of her own in a busy boarding-house. Meeting the love of her life; a whirlwind marriage; a sudden, tragic loss. But now, decades later, Mona is determined to find happiness before it's too late. She knows that every moment is precious. But can we ever let go of the past that shaped us? 'Devastatingly emotional. De Waal's storytelling gives us the poetry and sorrow of life itself' Financial Times 'Weaving tragedy and joy, big themes and the minutiae of life, this is a love story to take on the classics' Emerald Street 'An emotionally sure-handed novel exploring harrowing terrain with deft sensitivity' Sunday Times

Luisina Rivoira

** spoiler alert **
           CW: stillbirth, attempted suicide

The Trick to Time

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