Joseph O'Connor returns with another superb, compelling and brilliant read. My father's House is set in wartime Rome, occupied by the Nazis and led by Gestapo commander Paul Hauptmann, who rules with terror and takes a hands-on approach to his work. But there’s one place he can’t touch or reach - the Vatican City. The Vatican City is an independent country within Rome. And Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty who lives there, along with an unlikely group of friends called ’the choir’, continue to provide refuge to those who can reach them. It’s a dangerous but tightly-run clandestine operation, and O’Flaherty remains out of Hauptmann's grasp.
He's already on Hauptmann's deadly hitlist after he visits a PoW camp and, horrified by the conditions of the prisoners, insists on helping them and giving them treats and water. This annoys not only the Nazis but also incurs the wrath of the Vaticans, who are worried about their neutral status.
My Father’s House is a literary thriller, based loosely on a true story. Resorting to what was known as the 'Rome escape line,' where people risked their lives to save thousands, it's indeed an incredible story of courage and sacrifice by a few for so many. It is also a demonstration of how this group of people had helped many escaped prisoners and Jews, with money, medicine, papers, clothes - whatever they needed, and also hiding them using every available space and resources.
The choir is made up of colourful characters, from the newspaper seller Enzo Angelucci, Delia Kiernan, wife of the senior Irish diplomat to the Vatican, and the Contessa Giovanna Landini. The timelines building up to the escape are told through their views and voices, some of them interviews after the event, which adds to the authenticity of the story.
The dialogue in the book, which often has a natural, appealIng quality, is enjoyable and O'Connor offers readers a taste of the colourful and interesting phrases. And Hugh O'Flaherty is a terrific character, full of humanity and incredible courage.
The story in My Father’s House is always building to Christmas Eve, 1943, when a mission (code name Rendimento) takes place. The final chase scene has a cinematic quality with high stakes and increasing tension. It's another part of the book where O'Connor excels, such as his attention to detail of the buildings in the basilica. It’s wonderfully atmospheric and builds to a superb climax.
Apparently, through O'Flaherty, with the help of his choir and surrounding network, some 6,000 people were saved.
My Father's House does justice to a story that deserves wider recognition and an introduction to a new generation. Thanks to the impressive level of depth and perspective achieved within these pages, it should do just that and hopefully, bring this incredible story to a fresh audience.
