Book summary

Those familiar with the Irish poet, novelist, and playwright Sebastian Barry will recognize many of the characters and families in THE SECRET SCRIPTURE since his work frequently revolves around offshoots of the Dunnes, a Protestant Irish family profoundly impacted by the Irish Revolution. However, the reader need not know the background to appreciate the lyric haunting beauty of this novel, set mostly in an insane asylum where Roseanne Dunne has been locked away, forgotten, lost in dark memories of history and romance gone awry. The drama emerges as a psychiatrist, Dr. Grene, uncovers her story, and begins to unearth her secrets. A layered, poetic, and luminous work, THE SECRET SCRIPTURE was short-listed for the Man Booker Prize in 2008.

Media reviews

"Sebastian Barry [is] the most exhilarating prose stylist in Irish fiction -- which just about makes him, by definition, the best prose writer in the English language."