by Edna O’Brien
First published 2016
Vlad arrives in a small Irish village posing as a healer from Eastern Europe. The locals believe in his powers, but Fidelma McBride becomes completely captivated. She wants him to father her child. Her world collapses when authorities arrest Vlad and expose him as a war criminal. Fidelma flees Ireland in shame and finds herself in England among other displaced people who have escaped wars and persecution. She works alongside migrants who carry their own stories of loss. Her journey ends at the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, where she must face Vlad again. This confrontation becomes the climax of both her physical travels and emotional transformation. The story explores how people search for love and connection, even when it leads them astray. It examines why humans become drawn to dangerous figures and the difficult path people must take to find their way home.
Genres: fiction, drama, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Ireland, England, The Hague
Period: Contemporary
299 pages · Hardcover · Little Brown and Company
Content warnings: violence, war