Country A Novel
Country A Novel by Michael Hughes, published by HarperCollins Publishers in September 2020, is a reimagining of Homer’s Iliad set against the backdrop of mid-1990s Northern Ireland. This edition spans 336 pages and is presented in English. The narrative unfolds during a tense period marked by a fragile ceasefire between the IRA and British forces, exploring themes of honor and revenge amidst a landscape shaped by decades of conflict.
Readers will find a fierce and suspenseful tale that delves into the complexities of loyalty and betrayal. As an IRA man’s wife becomes an informer, tensions rise, leading to a planned assault on a local army base. The story captures the turmoil of a region grappling with the aftermath of violence, as characters navigate their roles in a conflict that threatens to reignite. Hughes’s work reflects on the brutal realities of war and the sacrifices made by individuals on both sides, providing a thought-provoking exploration of the human cost of political strife.
Official synopsis Publisher
Published to ravishing acclaim in the UK, a fierce and suspenseful reimagining of Homer’s Iliad set in mid-1990s Northern Ireland–a heart pounding tale of honor and revenge that “explodes with verbal invention, rapid juxtaposition, brutality and fun” (Times Literary Supplement).
Northern Ireland, 1996.
After twenty-five years of vicious conflict, the IRA and the British have agreed to an uneasy ceasefire as a first step towards lasting peace. But, faced with the prospect that decades of savage violence and loss have led only to smiles and handshakes, those on the ground in the border country question whether it really is time to pull back–or quite the opposite.
When an IRA man’s wife turns informer, he and his brother gather their comrades for an assault on the local army base. But old grudges boil over, and the squad’s feared sniper, Achill, refuses to risk his life to defend another man’s pride. As the gang plots without him, the British SAS are sent to crush the rogue terror cell before it can wreck the fragile truce and drag the region back to the darkest days of the Troubles. Meanwhile, Achill’s young protégé grabs his chance to join the fray in his place…
Inspired by the oldest war story of them all, Michael Hughes’s virtuoso novel explores the brutal glory of armed conflict, the cost of Ireland’s most uncivil war, and the bitter tragedy of those on both sides who offer their lives to defend the dream of country.
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