No Country: A Novel
This epic novel, spanning three continents and multiple generations, probes the nature of family and home. In Ireland in 1843, country lad Padraig Aherne runs into trouble in Dublin and ends up on a ship sailing to Calcutta, where he will make his fortune in the import business even as he is constantly haunted by his memories of Ireland. He leaves behind his girlfriend, Brigid, unaware that she is pregnant, and his best friend, Brendan. Faced with the deprivations of the potato famine, Brendan takes Padraig’s child to Canada, where, sick of their torturous sea journey, they find peace in the rural countryside and become tenant farmers. As the generations unspool, the novel touches on the Indian Partition, New York City’s Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, and the universal struggle of immigrants to find a home in their new countries. Told from multiple perspectives, this thoughtful novel offers a panoramic view of the way personal and national destinies collide, sometimes ending in tragedy, sometimes in triumph. Historical-fiction fans will find much to savor in this rich portrait of the trials and tribulations of immigrants. --Joanne Wilkinson