Guard Your Heart by Sue Divin

What if peace is harder than war?

The story of Romeo and Juliet is one well known across the generations. Even those who may not have a Shakespeare play down as their first choice will have surely come across a version of the tale of the star crossed lovers. 

I love seeing and reading different interpretations of one of the most iconic love stories of all time so when I was introduced to the work of Derry based young adult fiction writer, Sue Divin, I immediately snapped up a copy of Guard your Heart – an almost reimagining of Romeo and Juliet with a beautiful Northern Ireland twist. 

Despite a hectic week at the John Hewitt Summer school followed by a weekend of birthdays and sick children, I still managed to finish the book within 5 days. My coffee was strong, my nights long, yet the pages kept being turned!

The story centres around the lives of two main characters – Aidan, a Catholic from an Irish Republican part of Derry, and Iona, a Protestant from a Loyalist party of the City.

Following a brutal and harrowing first encounter, their paths cross again but this time they journey down a different road together. The story is set in Derry, post the Good Friday Agreement and during a time that peace, acceptance and integration were supposed to have been imbedded within the post-conflict society. However the story quietly yet unashamedly challenges this perception showing how 18 years after a power sharing agreement was signed, a hatred or dislike for the ‘other’, segregation, and dangerous preconceptions are still bubbling very close to the surface, especially in communities deeply scared by the thirty years of conflict. 

The story is well written and has a beautiful flow that encourages the reader to keep turning the page. It is a very easy read book, and carefully demonstrates how trying to escape the actions of previous generations is not as easy as words on a page. Sue cautiously shows how a lack of understanding of the ‘other’ community and generational fears and assumptions can exacerbate and further ingrain segregation. Furthermore the story explores the lasting effects of generational trauma and poverty, and how these can define someone’s path despite their efforts to break the cycle. 

I would 100% recommend Guard Your Heart to young adult and adult fiction readers alike. It is an emotionally rich love story that blends just enough drama and subtle tension to keep good momentum without losing authenticity.