God's Own Country

'God's Own Country' is a state of the nation Irish novel. It is set on the evening of the twenty-fifth anniversary ordination celebration of a local priest. It is composed of a range of riveting interweaving narratives before the characters are inextricably linked in the moving finale. It represents a scathing indictment of Irish society.In the novel all shades of Irish life are presented with the result that it resonates widely for all potential readers. Though naturalistic in style, symbolism is fairly effortlessly evoked, via everything from sight imagery to the seven deadly sins.The novel's depth of characterization alongside its interweaving narratives make it an exhilarating read, with a cast of characters which includes a priest, a pregnant girl and an Anglo-Irish hippy, with settings as diverse as New York around the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis to Howth Head and the Great South Wall.A must read for anyone interested in current Irish literary fiction.