What Becomes of Us By Henrietta McKervey

When Maria Mills flees London with only a suitcase and her young daughter she is intent on a new life. To hide from her past she has carefully constructed a story based on a lie even her child believes is true.
It is 1965 and Dublin is a city on the cusp of change. As the country prepares to commemorate the 1916 Rising Maria meets Tess McDermott a former member of Cumann na mBan. Tess saw active service during the Rising and Maria soon realises that she too is closely guarding a secret.
Set against the backdrop of stifling social mores alongside a defiant new wave of women’s liberation What Becomes of Us is a beautifully told story of the delicate balance between risk and survival of nationhood and of the struggle to carve out a new identity when the past refuses to let go.