The King My Father's Wreck: A Memoir

This riveting story is based on one of the oldest extant narratives from Ireland (recorded in Leabhar na hUuidre -- The Book of the Dun Cow). The author has rearranged the traditional sequence of events so that they correspond to the actual geography of Ireland and its islands and has perhaps restored the tale to something close to its original form. Her use of language is spectacular, in particular her vivid description of Mael Duin's madness. Essentially, the story follows a young man as he discovers his origins, finds his insane mother, learns that he must avenge his dead father, and sets out to fulfill that goal. The story moves seamlessly between the plausible and the mythic, firmly rooted in human emotions with which the modern reader can identify but keeping a foot in the Otherworld as well. Allow time to read this book in one intense sitting -- you won't be able to do anything else