It is autumn 1942, and young Balbriggan teacher Matt Duggan arrives
on his first posting at the small town of Rathisland in the Irish
midlands, barely alive to the global war raging outside. Lawn
tennis alternates with Church and classroom politics, as rehearsals
take place for a staging of Hamlet. Beneath the surface are pockets
of support for Germany, and plans afoot to link up with the
Wehrmacht. Matt has a mesmerizing first encounter with
nineteen-year-old Madelene Coll and, as she edges her way out from
the watchful eyes of her aunts, she and Matt enter a world they
will remember for the rest of their lives. When a Messerschmitt
crash-lands in the locality that world is knocked from its axis.
Before long the inherent contradictions of Emergency Ireland boil
to the surface, involving Matt and Madelene in a misadventure with
deeply tragic consequences. This nuanced coming-of-age story
rehearses the inner narrative of neutral Ireland as public
perception contends with private experience in a series of
convergent tableaux. Beautifully evoked and implosive, divided
personal loyalties mirror the wider dramas of the wider European
stage. South of the Border is a gem of narrative that brings the
reader into the heart of a reality that was wartime Ireland.
General
Imprint: |
The Lilliput Press Ltd
|
Country of origin: |
Ireland |
Release date: |
April 2008 |
First published: |
December 2008 |
Authors: |
James Ryan
|
Dimensions: |
220 x 240 x 23mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
238 |
ISBN-13: |
978-1-84351-134-2 |
Categories: |
Books >
Fiction >
Genre fiction >
Historical fiction
|
LSN: |
1-84351-134-7 |
Barcode: |
9781843511342 |
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