Synopsis
Ireland 1922. A deeply divided country is coming to terms with the fall out of the Civil War and the creation of the Irish Free State. Using this backdrop, Martin Malone's powerful novel tells the story of the Civil War and the execution of seven IRA men for illegal possession of arms. At the same time, four Kerry volunteers sentenced to death for identical offences are pardoned after undertaking to make their peace with the new government. The prisoners' last six days unfolds through the eyes of one of the condemned men, Stephen 'Chalky' White as he awaits his execution, while his mother, at her home in Kildare patiently waits for news of her son's fate. The prison chaplain, Father Pat Donnelly, and the psychotic Captain Art Murray add to the conflicting perspectives that make this novel so authentic. This is a novel that brings to life the impact that the Civil War had on the Irish people, their small communities scarred for decades.
