First published 1984
An informer's corpse turns up on the grounds of a prosperous Irish estate shortly after World War One ends. The discovery triggers brutal retaliation. A fanatical sergeant leads the Black and Tans in an assault on the property, torching the family mansion. Only Willie and his mother survive the flames that consume his father and their former life. Willie comes of age in the shadow of this violence. His mother drowns her grief in alcohol while nursing a corrosive hatred. The weight of loss and his mother's bitterness shape Willie's path to adulthood. He discovers love as he matures, yet the wounds inflicted by that night of fire refuse to heal. The past maintains its grip on Willie, threatening to destroy any chance he has for peace or happiness. His struggle becomes whether he can break free from the cycle of vengeance that claimed his family.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: cycle-of-vengeance, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Ireland
Period: World War One
24 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books
Content warnings: violence