by J.G. Farrell
First published 1975
Major Brendan Archer arrives at the Majestic Hotel in Kilnalough, Ireland, in 1919 to visit the Spencers, whose daughter he may have promised to marry during the war. The once grand hotel now decays around its eccentric guests while the Irish War of Independence rages outside its walls. Archer finds himself caught between his confused memories of wartime romance and the reality of a changing Ireland that no longer welcomes the British presence. The hotel's owner struggles to maintain order as his property literally crumbles and political violence escalates in the surrounding countryside. Archer must navigate the clash between old colonial certainties and new Irish nationalism while questioning his own place in this transformed world.
Genres: literary-fiction, historical-fiction, 20th-century, war
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: clash-of-cultures, fish-out-of-water
Setting: Kilnalough, Ireland, Majestic Hotel
Period: 1919
411 pages · Paperback · Irish Book Center
Content warnings: colonialism