The Island Child

A spellbinding, deeply felt debut novel—soaring and poignant—about passion, freedom, motherhood, and the power to shape our destinies.

Oona grew up on the island of Inis: a wind-blasted rock off the coast of Ireland where the men went out on fishing boats and the women tended turf fires; where the only book was the Bible; and where girls stayed at home until they became mothers themselves. The island was a gift for some, a prison for others. Even as a child, Oona knew she wanted to leave, bu...