My Father's House, by Joseph O'Connor starts with a seriously ill man being driven through the streets of Rome in the back of a Daimler by Delia, the wife of a diplomat. Also in the car is an Irish Priest, Fr Hugh O'Flaherty. They get the man safely to hospital, and it then unfolds that all three are part of the resistance battling against the Nazi occupation of their city during the second world war. Fr Hugh is instrumental in running The Escape Line - which helps allied soldiers and Jews escape the clutches of the Nazis. His "Choir" meets regularly in the Vatican (a neutral state) and this is where they sing (which helps deflect suspicion), but also plan each "Rendimento" (mission). The ill man is Sam Derry, who usually runs the missions - but he is laid up and the next Rendimento is imminent. Fr Hugh steps in to take a more active role. This proves extremely dangerous as he is already under suspicion from SS Officer Paul Hauptmann, who is terrorising the city and is determined to break The Escape Line. The book takes us through the countdown to the mission, using a mixture of narrative and interviews with, and memoirs by, the participants. The tension is palpable throughout, and it is a nail biting thriller ... even more so as it is based on a true story. The face to face interactions between Fr Hugh and his SS adversary are chilling, and it becomes almost impossible to believe that The Choir will be successful this time. The detailed descriptions of the places, as well as how rounded the characters are makes for a very satisfying read. This is definitely a page-turner and an excellent start to my reading year. Highly recommended for anyone interested in this period of history, or indeed anyone who enjoys a good thriller!
My STAR rating: FIVE.
Length: 399 print pages.
Price I paid: Free, was a gift.
Formats available: print, unabridged audio download, ebook.
