by Sebastian Barry (Faber £8.99, 320 pp)
‘I am Winona.’ Sebastian Barry’s heroine introduces herself in the first sentence of his new novel. But she is not Winona or not exactly. She is a child of the Native American Lakota tribe.
Her family were massacred when she was a child, and she has been adopted by Thomas McNulty and his partner, John Cole, the protagonists of Barry’s earlier Costa Prize-winning novel, Days Without End.
The latest addition to Barry’s cycle of novels explores the bonds of family relationships.
In the lawless atmosphere of 19th-century Tennessee, Winona’s adoptive family seems painfully fragile but, amid the chaos, the certainties of justice and kindness hold fast. Barry’s beautifully written novel is a heart-stopping exploration of the healing power of love.
Normal text size
Very large text size
What a year. Who would have thought this time last year that 2020 would bring a pandemic? And what did it mean for books? Well, publishing schedules went a bit haywire as titles were postponed, trumpeted or slipped under the radar. It was possibly the worst time to be a debut author, with launches taking on a new identity.
Writers festivals and bookshop events were cancelled or migrated online. But didn t we readers respond well? We took to virtual events in our homes with alacrity, while festival directors swiftly and imaginatively adapted their offerings in a new world.