Description

September 1943: German forces occupy Rome. SS officer Paul Hauptmann rules with terror. The war’s outcome is far from certain.

An Irish priest, Hugh O’Flaherty, dedicates himself to helping those escaping from the Nazis. His home is Vatican City, the world’s smallest state, a neutral, independent country within Rome where the occupiers hold no sway. Here Hugh brings together an unlikely band of friends to hide the vulnerable under the noses of the enemy.
But Hauptmann’s net begins closing in on the Escape Line and the need for a terrifyingly audacious mission grows critical. By Christmastime, it’s too late to turn back.

Based on an extraordinary true story, My Father’s House is a powerful literary thriller from a master of historical fiction. Joseph O’Connor has created an unforgettable novel of love, faith and sacrifice, and what it means to be truly human in the most extreme circumstances.

Publisher Review

A masterwork... so urgent, so incredibly alive... A searing and beautiful example of storytelling's infinite importance * Donal Ryan * Gripping, compelling and utterly brilliant. O'Connor's gift for exquisite language shines through * Liz Nugent * I was utterly engrossed from start to finish. The writing hums with energy. Such a gloriously vivid depiction of a Rome that is both familiar and altogether strange. And a powerful story of ordinary humans showing extraordinary bravery and tenacity. Bravo! -- Danielle McLaughlin Riveting, immersive, synesthetic, linguistically dazzling, funny and dark, this novel is blessed with a kind of magical grace. Sprezzatura springs from every page -- Sarah Moore Fitzgerald, * SMF Bookclub * Joseph O'Connor is a very great artist and storyteller * Sebastian Barry * There are few living writers who can take us back in time so assuredly, with such sensual density, through such gorgeous sentences. Joseph O'Connor is a wonder -- Peter Carey O'Connor's writing is always intensely atmospheric * Literary Review * O'Connor's work is hugely impressive and utterly haunting * Sunday Mirror * Riveting...a storytelling tour de force. This is top-drawer WWII fiction * Publishers Weekly * A hugely entertaining book about the grand scope of friendship and love, it is also, movingly - at times, astonishingly - a story of transience, loss and true loyalty * Guardian, on Shadowplay *