"A beautifully written book; clear and unadorned; the story of a hidden Ireland, told with compassion and intelligence," Michael Harding.
Full of pathos and humour, and evocative of Banville's The Book of Evidence and of John McGahern in its detailed portrayal of rural life, The Boy in the Gap by Paul Soye is a beautifully wrought, haunting debut.
Jack Sammon waits in jail on remand for a horrific crime that has scarred the community, wrestling with his memory and scribbling the details of his life in a school copy-book. Jack grows up on a small farm in a close-knit West of Ireland community with his mother, older brother, and baby sister. He might have overcome the untimely death of his father had his mother's disastrous choice of a second partner not alienated the support of their neighbours, an act that sets Jack on a risky life path. He is drawn to local eccentric Irene, who reveals to him secrets about his family that will shake him to his core.
About the author: Paul Soye is the author of the plays Cherished and The Birdcage, which won the Esso New Irish Play Award at the National Drama Festival in Athlone in 1996. In 2002 he was short-listed for the BBC's Tony Doyle Award. He has written a one act play for children and his play In Irons was broadcast on RTÉ 1's Sunday Night Playhouse. He lives in County Mayo.
ISBN: 978-1-905483-41-9
