{"product_id":"cross-isbn-9781685891770","title":"Cross","description":"\u003cb\u003eA masterful tale of betrayal and violence in a tight-knit community in Northern Ireland during the last days of the Troubles, from an acclaimed Irish writer making their US debut . . .\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1994, the summer leading up to the ceasefire between Britain and the IRA. In the Northern Irish border town of Cross, after decades of violent activity protesting British rule, a community plays out its end game.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrancie, a hardened yet troubled IRA man, has authorized the murder of a policeman by two teenaged henchmen. The Widow Donnelly protests in the town square because her son has gone missing. Young Cathy Murphy, a Protestant, is trying to find her place among a people who ignore her. And pathological Handy Byrnes, whose marksmanship makes him a valuable weapon, is out of control.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMeanwhile, paranoia is growing because operations are beginning to go wrong. The townsfolk suspect a tout, but no one is willing to accept the evidence before their eyes.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eCross\u003c\/i\u003e is a complex tale of betrayal and brutality at the height of the Troubles, a powerful, moving, and empathetic lament for a community that has lost its way in its battle for the nation.“A stunning story of political intrigue in 1994 Northern Ireland… This dazzles.” - \u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly STARRED review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“This place and its residents will fascinate readers, as will Duffy’s unique vernacular… which perfectly captures this damaged community.” - \u003cb\u003eBooklist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"...a powerful, poetic thriller about the costs and consequences of political violence.... Duffy’s tense, brutal story unspools in the lyrical voice of an omniscient narrator...\" - \u003cb\u003eThe Book Reporter\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Readers will be completely immersed in a society of paranoia, vengeance and fear that Duffy masterfully cultivates.” \u003cb\u003e- The Harvard Crimson\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"The paean to Ireland that CROSS vividly presents: These are complicated times, shaping complicated people… Duffy captures the natural beauty of Ireland alongside the intracacies—for better and for worse—of its inhabitants, portraying with depth and verisimilitude a close-knit island alive to its own history.” - \u003cb\u003eThe Chicago Review of Books\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A tremendous novel, powerful and compelling, written with great gritty authenticity.\" - \u003cb\u003eWilliam Boyd, author of \u003ci\u003eAny Human Heart\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“There comes a point in a hunger strike, remarks an IRA operative in \u003ci\u003eCross\u003c\/i\u003e, when a body begins to smell, 'on account of the body starting to eat itself'. It's a deeply resonant image, and a powerful metaphor for what happens in the book's eponymous Northern Irish border town when the 1994 ceasefire forces it to make a reckoning with its violent past and uncertain future. It’s an intricately plotted game of cat and mouse where it's never clear who’ll turn out to be the cat and who the mouse - a novel which brings Austin Duffy's distinctive blend of black humour and moral seriousness to the literature of the Troubles.” \u003cb\u003e- Carys Davies, author of \u003ci\u003eClear\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\"\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eCross\u003c\/i\u003e is a portrait of an embattled community drilled in lying to itself, in justifying the unjustifiable and condoning the unconscionable. Austin Duffy has fashioned a thrillingly tense read out of a morality play, producing a novel of riveting clarity and international relevance for our turbulent times.\" - \u003cb\u003eClaire Kilroy, author of \u003ci\u003eTenderwire \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eAUSTIN DUFFY's debut novel \u003ci\u003eThis Living and Immortal Thing\u003c\/i\u003e was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year and was runner-up for the McKitterick Prize. He is also the author of \u003ci\u003eTen Days\u003c\/i\u003e, which was shortlisted for the Diverse Awards, and The Night Interns, which was an \u003ci\u003eIrish Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestseller. He is a practising medical oncologist and lives in Ireland with his wife and two children.","brand":"Melville House","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46303928418533,"sku":"NP9781685891770","price":19.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781685891770.jpg?v=1767724287","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/cross-isbn-9781685891770","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}