“These Days is an intimate celebration of sisterhood and a moving tribute to childhoods cut short by war. Rich in voice and beautifully rooted in place, Lucy Caldwell’s characters leap from the page in all their joy and devastation. The result is a novel of stunning ambition.”
- Sarah Jessica Parker, SJP Lit
An “exquisitely lyrical” (Louise Kennedy) novel from a singular Irish writer following two sisters over the course of four nights as they reckon with their futures in war-torn Belfast.
9781638931836
English
287
Hardcover
April 8, 2025
8.3 x 5.5
April 1941: Belfast has escaped the worst of the Second World War—so far. Over the next two months, it will be so destroyed from above that people will say, in horror, “My God, Belfast is finished.” Many won’t make it through, and those who do will be forever changed.
Living amid the rubble are sisters Emma and Audrey. One is engaged to be married; the other is in a secret relationship with another woman. As the bombs fall, and tomorrow feels further and further away, these young women must grapple with the cultural expectations standing firm around them, and try to seize control of their destinies. After all, Emma thinks, if one is to survive, one must survive for something.
Featuring the voices of the community—from their mother to the wee girl down the road—These Days is a timeless and poignant tale of interrupted girlhood, life under duress, and the struggle to stay true to ourselves. Winner of the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction, Lucy Caldwell’s portrait of the Belfast Blitz is to be cherished.
WINNER OF THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 2023 • One of Lit Hub’s Most Anticipated Books of 2025
“Adroit, precise storytelling, atmospheric and satisfying; These Days is a novel of real substance.”
“In pared-down prose, Caldwell affects a sense of immediacy, showing the surreal and terrifying impact of the early-morning bombings via nightmarish sounds and eerie imagery. Fans of WWII historical fiction will be enthralled.”
“What a writer Lucy Caldwell is. Emotionally astute, stylistically delightful, exquisitely lyrical. These Days grabbed me on the first page and left me breathless.”
“A story of haunted love and heartbreak set during the Belfast Blitz in 1941, These Days . . . looks set to be Caldwell’s breakout book in America.”
“What a visceral, powerful, authentic novel! It’s hard to believe Lucy Caldwell didn’t actually live through the Belfast Blitz, it’s so accurately depicted. I felt I was there with the bombs, the blood, the chaos, the fear, and the resilience.”
“Lucy Caldwell’s These Days effortlessly and elegantly transports the reader to WWII Belfast through the lives of women trying to survive the firebombing unleashed by the Nazis on the northern Irish city. Beautifully written, the novel is eye-opening in its frank depiction of a little-known aspect of the war, and life-affirming in unexpected ways. A must read.”
“A highly accomplished novel that will surely become the defining work of fiction about the Belfast Blitz . . . sensationally good . . . It’s the kind of writing you want to inhale and feel coursing through your bloodstream.”
“Haunting . . . This fine novel by one of Northern Ireland’s most accomplished contemporary writers . . . brilliantly evokes wartime love and heartbreak.”
“These Days is an intimate celebration of sisterhood and a moving tribute to childhoods cut short by war. Rich in voice and beautifully rooted in place, Lucy Caldwell’s characters leap from the page in all their joy and devastation. The result is a novel of stunning ambition.”