A Kirkus Reviewsa�TM a��1 of 10 Fiction Books to Look for This Yeara�\x9d
Belfast, October 1940. 20-year-old zookeeper Hettie Quin arrives at the city docks in time to meet her new charge: an orphaned three-year-old Indian elephant named Violet. As Violet adjusts to her new solitary life in captivity and Hettie mourns the recent loss of her sister and the abandonment of her father, a world war rages. On the evening of Easter Tuesday 1941, hundreds of bombs rain down upon Belfast. Hettie runs to the zoo to make sure that Violet is unharmed. The harrowing ordeal and ensuing aftermath set the pair on a surprising path that highlights the indelible, singular bond that often brings mankind and animals together during horrifying times.