Rachael English - Paper wristband

The mother's secret lies in every baby's paper bracelet...

Katie Carroll kept a box tucked away in her closet for almost fifty years. It's from the 1970s, when Katie worked as a nurse in a midwifery home in the west of Ireland. The box hides a notebook with the details of the babies and mothers who were residents of the institution at the time. There are many, many more paper bracelets hidden in the box, on which the identities of the babies were recorded.

After her husband's death, Katie comes to a decision. With the information she has, adoptees can find their birth mothers, so Katie posts a message on an Internet forum. The answers come one after the other, and as Katie returns the paper bracelets one by one to their original owners, she witnesses moments of both pain and joy.

But is he ready to reveal the secrets of his own life?

"Infinitely moving, captivating. And that opening line...wow! I was hooked right away."
- Patricia Scanlan

"Told at a fantastic level, based on real events, a story about Ireland's dark past."
- Liz Nugent

"A powerful, important, beautiful novel."
- Sinead Crowley

"Rachael English is a true storyteller, you can't put this book down."
- Cathy Kelly

"An exceptionally sensitive read."
- Sheila O'Flanagan