Hi Timothy
I just finished the last three chapters which, for me, formed a nice set. I really liked how you managed to reconnect the reader with places and people from the past through dialogue and encounters in a way that was not contrived, yet was efficient, believable and well-executed. Each of these has its own mystery, including the church and the fate of the persecuted groups, so that creates loads of very interesting story threads. Along with filling in what happened to Damian and his family over the past two decades. Plenty to keep the reader hooked, knowing there will be interesting developments. Along the way I learned a lot about the character's insecurities and the fronts they all put on in an atmosphere of fear and secrecy. It's not easy to jump ahead twenty years and it was done skillfully and never leaves the reader confused or hanging.
In your very first line of Chapter 7, the use of the word strewn did throw me off base briefly. Because strewn refers to items scattered about a place, I thought Chloe was walking into a scene of dereliction - that the cabin was abandoned and had old bags lying about. Maybe Chloe is loaded down with bags, or some other way of putting it. And most likely she has satchels or rucksacks or old potato sacks, as luggage suggests a matching set at the airport. I think this one word change will help the reader land more securely after they leap through time.
I look forward to the novel really kicking off in Chapter 10 - Chloe seems the sort who makes things happen. Your description of the groups that have started to appear on city streets has echoes of today which is very compelling and makes this book timely.
Siobhan
