In 1946, when this novel begins, the world was still coming to terms with the horrors of the death camps of Nazi Germany and elsewhere. 

While everyone is entitled to hold their personal opinions, however misguided, it behoves them at least not to distort facts in order to support them.

Dermot Meleady (Letters, Jul 12) tells us that the creation of the state of Israel in 1948 was not marked by ‘ethnic cleansing’, and that the flight of the Palestinians was instigated by Arab radio stations, not by war crimes.