Moore, who would be the Graham Greene of our day if Greene weren't
still alive, is at his most electrifying in this taut parable of
Irish politics. A few hours after Belfast hotel manager Michael
Dillon promises his girlfriend Andrea Baxter that he'll leave his
wife Moira to fly to London with her, an IRA squad breaks into his
flat, takes Moira hostage, and orders Dillon to drive his car,
loaded with explosives, to his hotel - where notorious Rev. Alun
Pottinger, the "mad dog of Protestant Ulster," is to speak, Torn
between saving Moira and tipping off the police, Dillon delivers
the car, but then phones in a warning. The hotel is cleared, Moira
turns up unhurt, and the police fulfill what should be Dillon's
fondest dream by suggesting he leave the country for London. But
Dillon's ensuing moral turmoil is as gripping as his night of
terror. Moira immediately wangles a TV interview, denounces the
IRA, and leaks the news that Dillon can identify one of the
bombers; and atheist Dillon's nemesis, forgotten
schoolmate-turned-priest Matt Connolly (who's also the suspect's
uncle) traces him to London, urges him not to identify the suspect,
and broadly hints at reprisals. Dillon waffles - should he go
public along with Moira, taking his stand against IRA violence, or
listen to girlfriend Andrea's pleas, seconded by Connolly and then
by distraught Moira, to refuse to testify? This climactic waffling
is the real subject of the novel, which ends with the grimly
unsurprising revelation that it doesn't really matter what Dillon
decides. Sharp as a scalpel and clean as polished bone - a
heartbreaking book. (Kirkus Reviews)
When the IRA orders Dillon to park his car at a Belfast hotel, he knows he's planting a bomb that will kill and maim dozens. He also knows his wife will be killed if he disobeys. The author's award-winning novels include "The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne" and "The Great Victorian Collection".
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