A River in the Trees
UK Publisher
riverrun (Quercus)
Date Published
January 10th, 2019
Translations
Les Escales (French)
Dramatic Rights
Available
Two women: separated by a century, connected by secrets, loss and one forgotten old house in the Irish countryside.
1919
Hannah is twenty years old and living on her family’s farm in west Cork. Her peaceful world is shattered forever by the eruption of the War of Independence, Ireland’s latest bid for freedom from Britain. Hannah’s family hide rebel soldiers in their attic, putting them in great danger from the Black and Tans who roam the countryside. And an immediate connection between Hannah and O’Riada, the leader of this band of rebels, will change her life and that of her family forever . . .
2019
Ellen is at a crossroads: her marriage is in trouble, her is career over and she’s grieving the loss of a baby. After years in London, she decides to come home to Ireland to face the past she’s tried so hard to escape. Her journey centres on an old house that that used to belong to her family. Reaching into the past, she feels a connection to her ancestor, the mysterious Hannah O’Donovan. But why won’t anyone in her family talk about Hannah? And what can Hannah’s story tell Ellen about her own life?
A fierce and gripping novel about families, love and the impossibility of ever coming home.
Reviews
Jacqueline O’Mahony’s prose has that rare and heart-stopping quality that marks out a real writer: quite simply, you do not doubt a single word
- Julie Myerson
Jacqueline O’Mahony’s writing is sensitive and nuanced; closely observed and often darkly witty.
- Lucy Caldwell
[A]n exhilarating and moving read, vividly drawn and well-paced.
- Kate Worsley
A fierce, beautifully told story, which keeps the reader gripped until the very last page. Jacqueline O’ Mahony is one to watch.
- Louise O'Neill