A Ghost in the Throat

by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

First published 2021

A young mother discovers an 18th century Irish poem written by a noblewoman who found her husband murdered. The historical poet drank her husband's blood before composing her verses. The contemporary woman sees disturbing parallels between the ancient poem and her own near brush with tragedy. She begins an intense search to uncover the full story behind the poem and its mysterious author. Her investigation becomes an obsession that consumes her daily life as a mother. The search forces her to confront her own voice and experiences through the lens of another woman's centuries-old grief. Two women separated by time find their stories intertwining across the gap of history.

Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, mystery, 21st-century

Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking

Tropes: dual-timeline, obsession, unreliable-narrator

Setting: Ireland

Period: 18th-Century, 21st-Century

336 pages · Paperback · Biblioasis

Content warnings: violence

More by Doireann Ní Ghríofa

Readers who liked A Ghost in the Throat also liked

View on Siftivo