The Guiding Light

Secrets Of The Monument by Arlene Pearson is a wonderful dual timeline novel that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The action is set over 1946 and 2015. The parallel stories are similar but different as we follow characters linked by family. There are misconceptions about situations in both time periods. We witness the power of the mind to influence our responses.

1946 was a very different time to present day. It was a time dominated by men. Females had fewer choices, with the scales very much weighted towards the males. Women could be incarcerated in mental institutions, simply on the word of the man. This was dangled over them, as just the threat was enough to ensure compliance.

Health and safety were unheard of in 1946. Characters took risks, sometimes with disastrous consequences.