Publisher's Synopsis
Rural Tipperary at the turn of the 21st century. Johnsey Cunliffe, a simple, naïve only child in his twenties, grieves the death of his much-loved father. Harassed by local bullies and excluded by his peers, Johnsey's isolation worsens when his inherited farm is re-zoned and becomes valuable. The clouds gather as a local conglomerate tries to tempt Johnsey into giving up his family's land, while Johnsey, the unlikeliest of heroes, must try to hold on to those things dearest to him. Tense, complex and beautifully written, Donal Ryan's brilliant novel captures the loneliness of the outcast, the pain of being an orphan at any age, and the terrible consequences of parochial greed.
