Pauline Rodger's story about Across the Barricades by Joan Lingard

I was 14 years old when I first read this book. My preferred reading material at the time was, dare I admit it, my Nana’s Mills & Boon novels, which she’d sneak to me when she came to visit. I thought this book was a love story too – a boy meets girl, they fall in love, circumstances are difficult but love conquers all, kind of book.

I got more than I bargained for.

Set in Belfast, Kevin is Catholic and Sadie is Protestant. They meet and begin seeing each. They are unable to keep their relationship secret and their families, neighbours and friends soon make their opinions clear. Their parents are bitterly opposed. Their siblings, although not in favour of their union, try to cover for them and protect them. Suspicious neighbours and friends become enemies. Kevin and Sadie are labelled “traitors.” With the help of an old school teacher, Mr Blake, they continue to see each other but ultimately their relationship results in bloodshed and eventually the death of Mr Blake. Kevin decides he must leave Belfast. When he arrives at the port to take the boat to London, he finds Sadie waiting to join him.

Despite the “happy” ending, I recall being left shocked by the brutality and ruthlessness of the religious bigotry.

Whilst reading the book, I was also confused by some of the terminology and constantly had to stop to find out meanings of words I had probably heard before but had never thought to understand. Words like“ Mick,” “Proddie,” “ Fenian,” “ IRA,” “Provos,” and the significance of King Billy and the years 1690 and 1916.

In my own naïve and simplistic way, I summarised the situation as I saw it. Catholics wanted to be independent of Britain, whilst the Protestants wanted to remain British. Britain sends in soldiers to reinforce its position. Catholics resent the soldiers and both sides fight each other, mostly in the form of retaliation attacks.

The book opened my eyes and highlighted my lack of knowledge. Prior to reading the book, I recall mentions in news reports of car bombs, soldiers being killed at road blocks and pub bombings but beyond that I had no idea of the history behind or the devastating consequences of the “troubles”.

The setting of the book with its vivid description of the risks of day to day life on the streets of Belfast, made me compare my own upbringing with that of Kevin and Sadie’s. This comparison was made even the more poignant by the fact that I was a Catholic girl, attending a predominately Protestant school, with a Catholic mother and Protestant father. I had not experienced the bigotry or the prejudice but having read this book I was forced to confront the threat and danger my family would have faced, had we been living in another part of Britain.

My teenage love story had turned out to be so much more than expected.