An English adaptation of a raw novel set in the Welsh countryside during the Second World War dealing with the sensitive and painful themes of domestic violence and child abuse.

Addasiad Saesneg o Siabwcho, nofel gignoeth wedi ei gosod yng nghefn gwlad Cymru yn ystod yr Ail Ryfel Byd yn trafod pynciau sensitif a phoenus cam-drin gwragedd a phlant.

Jini John lives in a tiny white cottage on the banks of a stream. Feeling unloved by her mother and wary of her moody father, or Mamo and Dyta as her father insists she calls them, she often has to rely on neighbours Sara and Mari to look after her. They teach her to read and write, play games and even feed her when her mother constantly takes to her bed suffering from the ‘melancholies’. Jini suspects her father is abusing Mamo, so when he gets his call-up papers, the pair enjoy a period of respite, punctuated by visits from the mysterious Marged. Who is she, Jini wonders, and why does she always provide them with baskets of delicious food?

When her father returns and sexually abuses Jini, her mother embraces her for the first time and tells her she does love her. She promises to protect Jini from her father but swears her to secrecy, as she cannot bear the shame. Mamo keeps her promise, but when Jini attends the local school she attracts the unwanted attentions of the headmaster. Jini is bewildered and cannot understand why she is the one being singled out for sexual abuse. Why her? Do all girls have to go through this experience before they mature into young woman? When Mamo falls ill with consumption, Jini has to keep her sworn oath to her mother to pass her scholarship so that she can escape the clutches of her evil father and gain her independence. Can she forget and start anew and become mistress of her own destiny, or will hatred embitter her soul?

This is a heartrending autobiographical tale of incest against a young girl. The accomplished writing by Marged Lloyd Jones is a moving stand against the ‘shame’ of the title.

Patricia Ann Craig

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatad Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.