As a young child Alison realizes all is not as it seems with her mother but she is too young to really understand what she has just witnessed. As children we do not ordinarily realize our parents are human until we are adults ourselves and that even our parents have their secrets. Alison uses letters and diaries of her mother Molly to write a very moving story about her mother and faces that she may have never really known her. Great story about a daughter trying to find her path after she uncovers her mother’s life and secrets. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.

Alison Ripley has always wondered about the man she saw her mother with, the man who was not her husband, Alison’s father. He seemed to have a tremendous hold on Molly. After her mother’s death, Alison decided to learn more about her mother’s life and hopefully more about the man who intruded on their lives. What follows is a fascinating story of Molly’s childhood in Colonial Hon Kong and later, her work at Bletchley Park and then her days as a nurse and the troubles that would ultimately overcome her in middle age. A highly readable story about a remarkable life