A Secret Never to be Told is an absorbing story of a country upbringing in the early years of the Second World War, and later in Dublin. At the same time, it is a searching look at the experience of being aware that a profound truth about one’s life has been withheld. In attempting to discover what had happened to her mother, Alison Cobb explores the secrecy and even shame involved. It has taken most of her life to find out what really happened, and to understand the devastating impact that this had on her and on those around her. She throws light on some very dark corners but says that, mercifully, nowadays treatment can reduce the chance of the same thing happening.

A Secret Never to be Told is an absorbing story of a country upbringing in the early years of the Second World War, and later in Dublin. At the same time, it is a searching look at the experience of being aware that a profound truth about one’s life has been withheld. In attempting to discover what had happened to her mother, Alison Cobb explores the secrecy and even shame involved. It has taken most of her life to find out what really happened, and to understand the devastating impact that this had on her and on those around her. She throws light on some very dark corners but says that, mercifully, nowadays treatment can reduce the chance of the same thing happening.