Author(s): Henrietta McKervey

Contemporary

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.