Childhoold fears of death follow Bridie McShane for many years after the death of her father, a war veteran. She is able to come to terms with her grief though her desire to be a writer.

Although written over 30 years ago the truthfulness and power in this novel transcends the time period between the date of publication, and the World War I setting and the present day. Bridie's father dies, due to injuries received during World War I, when she is nine. The novel begins when Bridie is told of his death and then goes back into Bridie's memories of her special relationship with her father. It then continues until Bridie leaves home for her first job in Edinburgh five years later. The strong relationship between Bridie and her father is fully explored in the novel, as is the family's grief, but especially that of Bridie and her mother. The realities of this grief are detailed and ring true. A powerful novel.