by Colm Tóibín
First published 2010
Following the Anglo-Irish Agreement, Colm Tóibín journeys from Derry to Newry along Ireland's contested border. He documents the communities living under maximum tension in Northern Ireland. Tóibín encounters residents shaped by generations of conflict, their daily lives punctuated by marches, demonstrations, and funeral processions. He listens to local voices rather than official spokespersons, gathering stories from ordinary people at the grassroots level. The author reveals how historical wounds have marked both the physical landscape and the people who inhabit it. Through patient observation and careful conversation, Tóibín maps the fear and rage that define life along this divided territory. His journey exposes the layered unhappiness of border communities caught between competing loyalties and ancient grievances.
Genres: history, irish-literature, politics, non-fiction, 21st-century, activism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: documentary, first-hand-account, observational
Setting: Derry, Ireland, Newry, Northern Ireland
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
208 pages · Paperback · Picador