All the Walls of Belfast

by Sarah Carlson

[Sam@WLABB]

All the Walls of Belfast was one of the freshest and more interesting take on Romeo & Juliet, that I have read in quite a while.

Who?

• Fiona: Born in Belfast, but raised in the US, she was largely unaware of the Troubles and the shadow they cast over Northern Ireland.

• Danny: A Belfast resident, who fought to better himself as as to escape the destructive parts of his culture.

What?

Danny and Fiona accidentally meet and strike up a friendship, but when they learn, they reside on opposite sides of the Peace Wall, they are not sure if they can move beyond the crimes of their parents and forge a future together without alienating their loved ones.

Why?

This was quite a story, and it packed such an emotional punch. Between the look into the troubled past of Northern Ireland, the leftover animosity from The Troubles, and the constant violence Danny had to contend with, I sometimes found myself a little wrung out. But, I really appreciated all the historical bits Carlson fed me, as well, as the different points of view concerning the initial conflict, which pitted Loyalists against Republicans. I knew something about the conflict from my teens and early 20s, but I definitely learned a LOT more about it from reading this book.

As far as characters go, Fiona was much easier to like. I empathized with her situation -- traveling to a foreign country to reunite with the family she separated from over 15 years ago. Some of my favorite moments were between Fiona, her father, her step brothers, and her nephew. It was awkward and sometimes uncomfortable, but it was lovely seeing them warm up to each other, and remember how they used to be a family.

At first glance, Danny came off as arrogant and not very nice, but as the story plays out, I saw that he was hardened from his circumstances, and I was able to forgive some of his transgressions. I was very impressed by the hoops he had to jump through to try and achieve his dream. His father was constantly trying to keep him from achieving, but Danny's hard head and a few supporters in his corner, helped his keep his eyes on the prize and pushing forward. I really appreciated his strength in this situation. I also found his struggle with his culture quite interesting. He often displayed feelings of pride towards his history, but it was at odds with the violence embedded therein, which he tried to avoid at all costs.

This book is definitely being added to my list of books that took me places, because Carlson did an amazing job incorporating the city of Belfast into the story. I felt the vibe and could almost see the sites, which were made even more vivid via Carlson's Instagram.

Lots of drama, lots of feels, but the best, for me, was the ending. Happy and sad things happened, but Carlson made it really hopeful.

Overall: A Romeo & Juliet-esque story with a MUCH better ending. Seriously, there were some happy tears.

*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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