A fire. Then a funeral. So begins a bleak story set in the cold Irish landscape as winter turns to spring and a war rages on the Continent, 1945.

Irishman Barnabas Kane and his wife, Eskra, are working to make a life in the stark, brutal beauty of their fields outside the town of Donegal. But after their barn burns with all of their cows trapped inside, Barnabas comes very near to giving up. The agonized cries of his cattle torment him for weeks afterward, as does the memory of his farmhand and friend, Matthew Peoples, who perished trying to free the cows. Barnabas can still smell the stench of the dead animals. Their bones litter his land, for he cannot muster the strength to clear them away. He rages at the acrid stink of smoke that permeates the walls of the Kane house. Eskra has washed and cleaned and scrubbed, and knows the odor has been banished, but for Barnabas it still lingers.

"Author Paul Lynch writes with incredible feeling.... [W]hile beautifully written, it can be an agony to read."

The Kanes have a son, though, young Billy, to worry about. He seems to be a good boy, if a bit troubled. Billy has made some friends, albeit odd ones, and they might get up to some mischief now and then. In fact, Billy has a dark secret gnawing at his conscience. But Barnabas and Eskra are busy with their own problems just now, what with their livelihood threatened.

It has not been long since the family came to Donegal, but Barnabas desperately wanted to return to his roots, and Eskra agreed. So, for him, rebuilding is the only option, and he is confident that his good neighbors will help as they always do when tragedy befalls another neighbor. Barnabas, though, has become what the townspeople call a “local stranger,” a man who left and came back, now no longer one of them or worthy of their good-natured assistance. In fact, little that the Kanes’ neighbors do could be described as good natured. No, to the contrary, Barnabas and Eskra meet obstacles at every turn. Why? Surely it can’t be their status as outsiders. What else has caused the villagers to look so bitterly upon them?

As the town turns its back on the Kane family, the time is ripe for them to pull together. And it seems, for a while, that they will. But just how much disaster can people be expected to stand up under? Where does the breaking point come? And when does love finally let go?

Author Paul Lynch writes with incredible feeling. He dredges up the torment, anger and despair Barnabas cycles through after his cattle burn in the fire and his investment goes up in the flames. He instills in Eskra the understanding and tenderness she needs to help her husband get through the toughest of times. And he breathes into Billy the self-centered scorn of an adolescent called upon to carry an already unwelcome burden.

The writing here is undeniably good, but, without the usual conventions like quotation marks and normal paragraphing, I found the rhythm awkward and the thread of the story hard to stay focused on. And, while beautifully written, it can be an agony to read. The tone is gloomy and brooding, the language rough. That said, Paul Lynch is an author to watch. He has a unique talent. Just maybe something with a wee dram of happiness next time?