Community Minded

Shameful Secrets On Coronation Close by Lizzie Lane is a delightful book and the second one in the series. It can be read as a stand-alone but I recommend reading book one first to see both story and character progression.

The year is 1937 and the residents of Coronation Close are very much looking forward to the King’s coronation in May, much like we are today. The reader is caught up in the excitement and preparations as the residents celebrate together. They are a close-knit bunch, offering help where it is needed. They share lives but some are hiding secrets.

We see the dreadful effects of shell shock from World War I which still persisted. “Looking at the mud brought back fragments of memories that still haunted him.” Shell shock or PTSD was not understood. It never goes away. We see a character who has hidden his identity since deserting in World War I. He hides behind more than just curtains, as the reader’s heart breaks for this gentle soul.

Other characters have secrets too. Some are kept because to let them out would put lives at risk. Others are kept through guilt and shame although they have nothing to be ashamed of, having been caught up in unwanted action.