A Selection of the Best in Contemporary Irish Fiction
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James Ryan - Seeds of Doubt
Phoenix House

Beginning in pre-emergency rural Ireland, this is a delicate, sensitively written novel, with its lack of moralising and carping.
Norah, one of five sisters living in the idyll of Templeard sang like a lark, and on her day of triumph was raped by a young priest. We are told the horrific tale of the fifteen year old as the girl, now in her fifties, tries to make sense of the suppressed shadowy memory that has so haunted her. Ryan writes beautifully, getting into the minds of the sisters with great sympathy. I loved his writing style, and was quickly drawn into his tale. Although much of the action is told second-hand, I found this novel both riveting and absorbing.
Review by Sue Leonard, Books Ireland.

Seeds of Doubt by James Ryan

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