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.
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