Trouble the Living
Books | Fiction / General
4.2
Francesca McDonnell Capossela
From Northern Ireland to Southern California and back--a mother and daughter confront the violence of the past in an enthralling novel about the possibility of love and redemption during the most transforming and unsettled times. It's the final years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, and Bríd and her sister, Ina, try to maintain a stable life in a divided country. Pushed by her mother's fanaticism and a family tragedy, Bríd joins the IRA and makes a devastating choice. Frightened and guilt ridden, she flees, leaving behind Ireland and her family for America. Years later, her guilt and tragic history still buried, Bríd is an overprotective mother raising her sensitive daughter, Bernie, in Southern California. Growing up amid a different kind of social unrest, Bernie's need for independence and her exploration of her sexuality drive a wedge into their already-fragile relationship. When mother and daughter are forced to return to Northern Ireland, they both must confront the past, the present, and the women they've become. As they navigate their troubled legacies, mother and daughter untangle the threads of love, violence, and secrets that formed them--and that will stubbornly, beautifully, bind them forever.
Coming Of Age
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More Details:
Author
Francesca McDonnell Capossela
Pages
303
Publisher
Amazon Publishing
Published Date
2023-09
ISBN
166251123X 9781662511233
Community ReviewsSee all
"Fabulous novel about mothers & daughters, violence & borders, secrets & love
Set in Northern Ireland and Southern California, this wonderful first novel weaves together large-scale social challenges such as The Troubles, climate change, and school shootings along with powerful human-scale forces such as secrecy, jealousy, love and forgiveness. An amazing group of characters drawn with superb care."
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Mino Capossela
"Mother and daughter explore and deal with their past and present and the secrets that come up to haunt them. Very well written. The story moves along sometimes painfully always interesting and the characters are engaging. "
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Sal DiMino
"This was a great read. It started a little slow, but by page 40 I was hooked. I personally don't know a lot about Northern Ireland in the late 90s, but I feel like the author painted a good picture. I thought the family dynamic was what you would expect from a family that struggles with mental health issues. Many times throughout the book, I wondered where the author got their inspiration. As someone who has a mother that struggled with depression as a child/teen, I related to the daughter more than I was expecting. All in all, I would say this is a great book. The story sucked me in and held me there and I was up until 130am finishing it. "