This was [for me] quite a big book, so it took a little while. However it was well worth the effort. It is a long, complex story about one man’s life, with numerous other little back-stories about the other characters. As with any good novel, I learned a lot, particularly what it was like to be a homosexual in 1950s/60s Ireland. Although there are shocking occurrences, the are also moments of humour. The author doesn’t spoon-feed the reader - there are times when you need to think [or even research] to get what is happening. Overall, a great read that will attract me back to this author.
One tiny gripe: At one point, sometime around 1960, no later, there is a reference to someone receiving 50p. This coin was not introduced until 1969 in anticipation of decimalization in 1971. I am winding if someone [stupidly] translated “ten shillings” to “50p” for the benefit of modern readers.
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