Simpson offers a reflective and theoretical explanation of the ways in which unionists conceive of the past in the present post-conflict environment. He considers the ways in which scholarly literature has often painted an outdated and inaccurate portrait of a highly complex people.
'How Northern Ireland deals with its past is a major issue for Northern Ireland's future. So this book could not be more important. It is written with passion but without partisanship, with academic rigour but without pedantry. The result is a powerful yet sensitive evocation of Unionist anxieties and historical sensitivities, disturbing but always moving.' - Arthur Aughey, Professor of Politics, University of Ulster, UK