My Review for A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe

⭐⭐⭐⭐ A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe is based on the horrific disaster which occurred, in the coal mining village of Aberfan, Wales on 21 October 1966. Embalmers were the unsung heroes of Aberfan, with volunteers rushing to the small Welsh village to ensure that the 116 children and 28 adults who perished were cleaned, identified and embalmed to keep them from deteriorating and thus saving their loved ones from further distress.

This book follows the fictitious character of William Lavery, from his young life as a chorister in Cambridge, through to him working for the family business as an embalmer which led him to Aberfan, right after he first qualified. The story jumps from 1966 and Aberfan, back to when William was a child and then forward again as he learns how to deal with the aftermath of the tragedy he witnessed and how it affected his life moving forward.

It has been clear from the book, that Jo Browning Wroe has carried out a great deal of research on the role of the embalmers at Aberfan, and how many suffered from their mental health and the effects such a tragic disaster can have on a person but also on their friends and family surrounding them. 

I related personally to places in the book as, like the author, I grew up in Birmingham and I went on my holidays to South Wales every year, staying just outside Mumbles in a road just off Plunch Lane! 

Sensitively written, I can thoroughly recommend A Terrible Kindness to anyone who is interested in the role the embalmers had in Aberfan but also to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe.