Silent Stones Book

This is a powerful, suspenseful and moving book-part coming-of-age novel, part love story, part thriller-about two teenagers forced to confront their families' pasts, who come to terms with their parents' legacies, learn that compassion is more important than blame and that love is stronger than all the mistakes people make, and discover that choices, relationships and people are always more complex than they seem. Robby lives with his embittered great-uncle, Eamon, on a farm in Cloghercree. His father, Sean, an IRA man was killed in an ambush before Robby was born; Eamon was crippled in the same ambush, Robby's mother Grace has recently married Liam - one of Sean's IRA comrades, since reformed - and is expecting a baby. Robby resents his new life. He has an angry, uncommunicative relationship with Eamon, and is haunted by the fact that his father, whom he resembles in many ways, was a murderer. Mayfly and her parents, Bubble-an upper-class Englishman who has cut himself off from his family-and Californian Andy, are New Age travelers. They have come to Cloghercree because Andy is in the last stages of cancer and Bubble believes the circle of stones at Cloghercree has the power to heal her. Mayfly resents the fact that her parents' lifestyle had deprived her of a normal life-she especially blames Bubble's irresponsibility-and cannot face her mother's impending death. They meet when Mayfly finds Robby about to shoot his beloved dog, Rusty, who has been poisoned. At first, as Mayfly rescues Rusty and takes him away to cure him with herbal remedies, sparks fly between them. Gradually, however, as the dog gets better and they see more of each other, they start to develop a special and intense connection - the beginnings of love.Read More