Edna O'Brien is such a skillful storyteller and she tells this one brilliantly. It starts off gently and slowly and gets faster and more tense as it progresses. I couldn't put it down by the end. Written in 1994 it tells some of the history of Ireland's Troubles through the story of an old woman alone in her big house and the violent crusader for a united Ireland who seeks sanctuary there. A great read.
