The Currach and the Corncrake

Book excerpt: Widowed and now the last lonely inhabitant of a small island in Northwestern Ireland, Seán is tired, grieving, and ready to be done with his life. Long estranged from his only child, and spurred by his wife’s last words to him, Seán dreams up an elaborate plan that cannot fail to heal the rift between them—a plan that will test the strength and resolve of an elderly hero who would rather stay in his chair by the fire with a cup of tea. The Currach and the Corncrake is a heroic journey of hope and reconciliation. It is about monks, monsters, and manuscripts; boats, birds, and old bones.