Part of Irish Country, book 15
First published 2020
Barry Laverty paces the floors of his Northern Irish home as 1969 draws to a close. His wife Sue carries their first child, and the young doctor divides his attention between his growing family and his bustling practice in Ballybucklebo. The village buzzes with preparations for a new decade while Barry and his mentor Dr. Fingal Flahertie O'Reilly treat patients ranging from tractor accident victims to complicated pregnancies. A new trainee arrives at the practice. Sebastian Carson brings upper-class manners to a community that values plain speaking and hard work. Meanwhile, sectarian tensions simmer across Ulster, threatening a young couple whose love crosses religious lines. The man's father stands firmly against the match between Protestant and Catholic. Between medical emergencies and brain surgeries, Ballybucklebo maintains its rhythms of boat races, fly-fishing, and heated competition over dandelion wine at the Harvest Festival. The village even launches its first talent competition. Barry finds himself caught between the weight of his professional duties and the simple pleasures that make his adopted home special.
Genres: fiction, family-life, irish-literature, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, mentor-mentee
Setting: Ballybucklebo, Northern Ireland, Ulster
Period: 1969
356 pages · Kindle Edition · Forge Books