First published 1999
Maurice Leitch crafts a story set against the backdrop of Northern Ireland's complex social landscape. The narrative follows characters navigating the intricate web of community loyalties and personal desires that define life in this divided society. Leitch draws from his deep understanding of Ulster Protestant culture to examine how ordinary people respond when caught between tradition and change. The novel explores themes of belonging and alienation as characters struggle with questions of identity in a place where history weighs heavily on the present. Through carefully observed details of daily life, Leitch reveals the human cost of living within rigid social boundaries while searching for authentic connection and meaning.
Genres: fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, 21st-century
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: belonging-and-alienation, tradition-and-change
Setting: Northern Ireland, Ulster
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
359 pages · Paperback · Vintage Books