‘The Paper Bracelet’ by Rachael English is a novel inspired by the true accounts from an unwed mothers home in Ireland.

Katie Carroll has a box saved in the back of her wardrobe from when she worked as a nurse in an Irish home for unwed mothers in the 1970s. The box is full of babies identity bracelets and a notebook with every baby and parents details that she dealt with whilst there. Katie’s husband passes away and she decides to post a message on social media to attempt to reunite babies and parents with their bracelets and maybe, ultimately each other.

What a read! I have obviously heard of the scandal from the recent past but have never encountered any books based upon them. This story was very well researched and written in a dual timeline, we are with the retired Katie and we are taken to the past with an unwed mother called Patricia who is sent to the home and gives birth to a little boy who, as was the norm, is taken away from her.

One thing this book is not is an easy read, the heart-wrenching story is one that has the capability to keep you up in the night. It is hard to believe at times these actions were run of the mill but I needed to read the book to find out what happened. It is a well-paced read and the ending pulls it all together really well. I feel we should all learn about these horrific things that happened to young mothers back then. With thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for letting me be a part of this blog tour.