All the Walls of Belfast

by Sarah Carlson

Overview

The Carnival at Bray meets West Side Story in Sarah Carlson’s powerful YA debut; set in post-conflict Belfast (Northern Ireland), alternating between two teenagers, both trying to understand their past and preserve their future. Seventeen-year-olds, Fiona and Danny must choose between their dreams and the people they aspire to be.

Fiona and Danny were born in the same hospital. Fiona’s mom fled with her to the United States when she was two, but, fourteen years after the Troubles ended, a forty-foot-tall peace wall still separates her dad’s Catholic neighborhood from Danny’s Protestant neighborhood.

After chance brings Fiona and Danny together, their love of the band Fading Stars, big dreams, and desire to run away from their families unites them. Danny and Fiona must help one another overcome the burden of their parents’ pasts. But one ugly truth might shatter what they have…

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781684422524
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	03/12/2019
Pages:	264
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

About the Author

Sarah is a YA author focused on exploring contemporary issues facing youth today. She is a member of SCBWI. All the Walls of Belfast is her debut novel. Currently, She lives near Madison, Wisconsin with her husband and two small children. She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology, a Masters of Science in Education, and an Education Specialist degree in School Psychology.

Editorial Reviews

[ All the Walls of Belfast ] is fast-paced, compelling, and unputdownable…This is a story that transcends the scope of the plot and characters and speaks deeply to the needs of our broken world. I can’t recommend it enough! - Jodi Herlick, Author and WriteMentor Mentor

From the Publisher

04/01/2019

Gr 8 Up-American teen Fiona travels to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to reunite with her father whom she has not seen since she was a toddler. Having no memories of her older half brothers or her birthplace, Fiona tentatively gets to know her family and explores her culture and community. She discovers her Catholic father was formally a key member of the IRA and his bombs killed many people during the Troubles, a time when ethno-nationalism led to violence between Catholics and Protestants. Fiona meets Danny, a Protestant who is studying for his school finals and wishes to join the British Army as a nurse against his gangster father's wishes. The two begin to see one another, but their parents' pasts threaten their relationship. Alternating chapters between Fiona and Danny establish their family dynamics and allow readers to root for them as their believable romance blossoms. Author Sarah Carlson creates an atmospheric narrative, explaining just enough of the current political and cultural landscape to understand how the walls running through Belfast still affect both communities on either side of it. The story doesn't shy away from showing gritty reality and dysfunctional families that are partly due to the conflicts that ended only recently. VERDICT This contemporary drama has an appealing romance and the nuanced story may push teens to think critically about religious and cultural differences; and ultimately about forgiveness. A solid choice for all teen collections.-Nancy McKay, Ella Johnson Memorial Library, Hampshire, IL

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