Davin O’Shaunessey (Da)

Quick Facts

• Role: Irish ambassador to Germany and the family’s diplomatic cover for Allied espionage—the “legit side of the business”
• First appearance: Early in the novel at diplomatic functions in Berlin, projecting charm and neutrality
• Key relationships: Husband to Megan O'Shaunessey (Ma); father to Michael O'Shaunessey
• Hallmarks: A mustached, bespectacled diplomat in impeccable suits, whose smiles are measured and purposeful

Who They Are

Beneath the polished surface of a neutral envoy, Davin O’Shaunessey is a meticulous strategist orchestrating a family spy ring in the heart of Nazi Berlin. He keeps the operation steady: Megan takes the risks in the field, Michael gathers information, and Da ensures it moves safely under the cover of diplomacy. He is defined by a constant moral and tactical calculus—how far to push, what to risk, and when to retreat—so that their double life can continue one more day.

Personality & Traits

Da’s character is a study in restraint. He is not the daring saboteur, but the ballast—calm, calculating, and fiercely protective. His diplomacy is both a skill and a survival strategy: he understands that their greatest weapon is credibility, and their greatest danger is a single slip.

• Diplomatic and cautious: Trained to read rooms and defuse danger, he coaches Michael to “play my part,” and reminds him that “we have jobs… Roles to play here,” keeping their cover intact even when emotions flare.
• Protective father first: His fear for Michael’s safety drives his hardest decisions, encapsulated in his outburst, “It’s about Michael getting shot. Or worse.”
• Principled opponent of Nazism: Horrified by brutality (especially during Kristallnacht), he slips sharp truths into polite company—like a “chilly reminder” that Germany is being bombed—quietly signaling opposition within the bounds of his role.
• Pragmatic realist: When the family rescues a downed pilot and learns he is Jewish, Da’s immediate concern—“Is that going to be a problem?”—reflects calculation, not prejudice. He constantly weighs the catastrophic risk of each choice.
• Controlled public persona: His mustache, glasses, and immaculate suits are tools. The smile he wears convinces Berlin he is safe to be around; the unsmiling eyes behind the lenses keep the mission alive.

Character Journey

Da begins as the family’s stabilizer—balancing duty to the Allies with the daily demands of keeping his loved ones alive. Kristallnacht pushes the family fully into clandestine work and brings Michael into the fold. As the war intensifies, Da’s strategic caution hardens into a parental imperative when he learns boys Michael’s age are manning antiaircraft guns. The risk becomes intolerable. He pivots from “stay the course” to “survive,” declaring it’s time to return to Dublin. Even then, he embraces one last, ethically complex plan: he and Megan will become fugitives so Michael can “betray” Lieutenant Simon Cohen to secure his Nazi cover and stop the assassination of Professor Goldsmit. The choice cements Da as a quiet hero who accepts moral compromise for the greatest possible good—and for his son’s life.

Key Relationships

• Michael O’Shaunessey: As mentor and protector, Da teaches Michael the discipline of role‑playing and the patience of long games while agonizing over the danger those lessons invite. Their bond tracks Coming of Age and Loss of Innocence: Da watches a child become an operative, torn between pride in Michael’s abilities and terror at their cost.

• Megan O’Shaunessey (Ma): Da and Megan are equal partners whose strengths interlock—her daring fieldcraft relies on his diplomatic shield and communication channels. Their arguments over using Michael expose the ethical fault line of their marriage: the mission’s demands versus the sanctity of family, a tension they manage through trust and shared resolve.

• Lieutenant Simon Cohen: Agreeing to hide Simon reveals Da’s ruthless clarity about risk. He never forgets that protecting a Jewish pilot in Berlin could annihilate the entire family, yet he chooses to help—and later supports the plan to “turn” Simon as part of a larger play, folding personal sacrifice into strategic necessity.

Defining Moments

Da’s evolution is marked by moments where calculation meets conscience—and conscience yields to a higher calculus of survival.

• Kristallnacht: Witnessing state‑sanctioned terror forces Da and Megan to bring eight‑year‑old Michael into their clandestine world, initiating him into Deception and Espionage. Why it matters: Da crosses a personal Rubicon—protecting his son now requires training him to deceive.
• The decision to leave Berlin: Learning that boys Michael’s age will man antiaircraft guns, Da declares, “It’s time for us to go back to Dublin.” Why it matters: A strategic withdrawal becomes an ethical stand—his child’s life outweighs any single assignment.
• Agreeing to the final plan: He consents to becoming a fugitive so Michael can maintain his Nazi cover by “betraying” Simon and stop Professor Goldsmit’s assassination. Why it matters: Da accepts the moral stain of a necessary deception to save lives, trusting his son’s resilience and judgment.

Symbolism

Da personifies wartime adulthood: the weight of impossible decisions and the quiet bravery of living a double life. He anchors the family in realism and restraint, embodying the slow, grinding bravery required when a wrong word can kill. His choices illuminate Moral Compromise and the Cost of War: even the right decision can scar.

Essential Quotes

“Da the diplomat, doing what he did best. His mustache widened as he beamed at me, but the eyes that peered at me over his glasses weren’t smiling. They were reminding me to smile. To be friendly. To play my part.”

This image captures Da’s duality: outward warmth, inward vigilance. He teaches Michael that survival depends on performance—every gesture must serve the cover, even affection.

“I think it’s time we were going. We’ll want to be getting home before the Allies start dropping their bombs on Berlin again.”

Delivered lightly in public, the line is a covert act of truth‑telling and time‑keeping. Da signals both his disdain for Nazi bravado and his constant clock‑watching for danger, guiding his family safely out of harm’s way.

“We have jobs, Michael. Roles to play here. Important ones. And if we fight these people right here and now, we can’t do those jobs anymore.”

Da prioritizes mission over impulse, modeling restraint as a form of courage. He reframes heroism as endurance and discipline—winning by not breaking cover.

“No, that is not what this is about. It’s about Michael getting shot. Or worse.”

The façade drops, revealing the engine of his caution: fear for his son. This is the emotional truth beneath his diplomacy and the pivot point for his later decision to flee.

“We’ll be killed if we stay.”

Blunt and unsentimental, the line crystallizes Da’s realism. He names the risk without bravado, choosing life over futile defiance—and preserving the chance to fight another day.