This could have been a really difficult read with its focus on that emotional maelstrom that dementia brings – and it’s all considerably complicated by the way the characters’ lives have unfolded, with a single significant memory driving an ever-present hatred that underpins the love and caring. But the way this book is structured really is absolute perfection. Each chapter starts with the present day, a tightly focused timeline, where the minutes pass so very slowly. Over a 24 hour period we follow Irene as she copes – just about – with the care of her mother: it’s in the present tense, and it’s totally relentless, claustrophobic, exhausting to experience (not “read” – it’s so much more than that). It’s unflinching, it’s painfully real – but there are, just sometimes, those moments of incongruity (I hesitate to say humour) that will be only too familiar to anyone who’s experienced the life of a carer. Emotionally, it tears at you constantly – the unremitting demands, the absence of sleep, the isolation, the despair, the sheer impossibility of it all. Interspersed is a linear account of Irene’s life, progressing through her memories. Told in the past tense, you might find yourself in slightly more familiar territory here if you’ve read the author’s earlier books – the twists and turns that life brings, with a close focus on the individuals involved, but perhaps with a smaller and more intimate canvas. We follow her from childhood – the age of eight – when her life is changed by the birth of sister Rose, a child with Down’s syndrome. When her mother rejects the child, young Irene – with the support of her father, and her grandmother who joins the household – takes on the care of her sister, showing her all the love denied by her mother. Rose’s life is short – and Irene’s thereafter is largely shaped by that experience of loss, her attempts to make a life of her own constantly thwarted as she responds to a repeated need to share love and care with others. From that outline, you might just be expecting relentless misery – but although you frequently ache for Irene, that’s really not the case. There are moments of lightness and absolute joy – in her relationships, in some of her life experiences, and in the precious moments with those she loves. And just a brief mention for the overarching timeline of Irene’s life – it’s one I share, so I was perhaps particularly engaged by the references placing the story in a context I recognised, with its prevailing attitudes and social limitations. I know I can sometimes overuse the word “stunning” – but for this book, I really can’t come up with anything more appropriate. It’s absolutely compelling, a story superbly told, and an entirely unforgettable emotional experience. Without question, this was one of the most powerful books I’ve read this year.

It seems weird labelling this in some aspects as historical fiction with much of the story being told over my lifetime, but much of the contents is very much of the time it is set in i.e. the seventies and eighties. Irene is eight years old when her younger sister Rose is born. Rose has Down Syndrome and was born after the time when these 'special' children were put out of sight, but that doesn't mean that the families don't need to come to terms with having a child whose life won't be as that they'd imagined. Rose's mother struggled but Irene adored her younger sister. The story of Rose's life is interspersed with the current day story set in 2002 of Irene's mother's struggle with dementia and the realities are so well recorded that it feels as if the author has first hand experience. This is a story that tugged at my heart-strings although I wanted to shake Irene for her inability to see the bigger picture but just as in real life, you can't agree with everyone's choices. I have a feeling that this is a book that will linger....