Kitty’s War by Eimear Lawlor
The novel Kitty’s War opens a window to Ireland’s past in a time where Ireland, a neutral country, allowed two warring nations to use its ports and in many ways influence Ireland’s politics. The details throughout the novel allow the reader to glimpse the past, and reconsider how people’s actions were influenced by the times they lived in.
Kitty returns from wartime London after receiving news that her Mother has recently died unexpectedly and her brother is gravely ill with suspected TB. She is worried that she is being drawn back by the Nun’s to settle the sum of money owed after she had a child out of wedlock. Anthony is found to be mentally unstable but does not have TB, he is obviously not coping. Shortly after her return, she receives a blackmail letter which says that it will expose Anthony’s secret as a homosexual. She is upset that she must remain in Ireland to help her brother pay off the demands of the blackmail letter. She sees an advertisement for a hospital post as a ward assistant in Naas which she feels will allow her to pursue her goal of becoming a nurse. The wages will allow her to save enough money for herself and Anthony to be free of the threat one way or another.
Kitty is like many women of her day, trapped by circumstance in rural Ireland bound by the rules of Church and the State which infiltrate everyday lives, dictate culture and opinion. She is a determined young woman who is not afraid to tackle situations to obtain her goal of assisting Anthony whose health was compromised during his involvement in the Spanish Civil War. Anthony seems like a person who is happy for others to resolve things for him, although this attitude could be down to post war stress or ill-health or a combination of the two. Kitty is very lucky with the people who help her, take her in and give her chances. She faces her unhappy childhood, finds out her German Mother’s secrets, discovers that her belief that her Father’s actions were untrue.
This story reveals Kitty’s inner strength and resilience which allow her to survive it all. She is representative of many young women of that period who did not allow themselves to be constrained by the rules, Kitty was not afraid to steer her own future.
(c) Theresa Jones
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