First published 2016
Marcus Conway sits at his kitchen table on an ordinary afternoon, but nothing about his presence is ordinary. The middle-aged engineer has returned from death on All Souls' Day, when Irish tradition says the departed may visit the living. From his familiar seat, Marcus examines the sequence of events that led to his absence and brought him back to this moment. He traces the small choices and minor decisions that created ripples through his life, affecting his relationships and testing his moral compass. The story unfolds as Marcus reflects on the chaos and order that shaped his existence, the love he experienced and the losses he endured. McCormack constructs this tale through an unconventional narrative structure, following Marcus as he contemplates how seemingly insignificant moments accumulated into something larger. The novel captures the weight of everyday decisions and their unexpected consequences, exploring how ordinary people navigate the complexities of modern life while confronting questions of integrity and meaning.
Genres: literary-fiction, family-life, contemporary, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: contemplative, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Ireland
Period: All Souls' Day
223 pages · Paperback · Tramp Press