First published 1983
Elizabeth Reegan comes back to the small Irish village of her childhood after years of living alone and independent. She marries into this tight-knit community that once shaped her early life. The village closes around her like familiar walls. Elizabeth navigates the contradictions of her new married life, caught between moments of deep despair and unexpected happiness. The community watches and judges as she tries to find her place again in a world she thought she had left behind. McGahern captures both the cruelty and warmth that define small-town existence. Elizabeth's story moves from heartbreak to bitter laughter, from isolation to connection, revealing how marriage can both trap and liberate.
Genres: 20th-century, contemporary, adult-fiction, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Ireland
Period: 20th-century
232 pages · Paperback · FABER AND FABER