The Irish princess

Hard-won lessons in life and family love infuse this remarkable debut, a luminous story of a large Irish-American family. Weaving multiple voices and points of view into an irresistibly flowing narrative, Mickey Clement's novel evokes the purity and passion of such modern classics as James Agee's A Death in the Family. As the 1960s unfold, and old ways are put to the test of change, The Irish Princess introduces us to the Malloy clan of Troy, New York.

There is Mike, one of five brothers from shanty Irish stock, who prides himself on his deep religious faith and ironclad loyalty to his roots; his wife, Clare, a public school teacher with a lace-curtain background, who brooks no bigotry or knee-jerk piety, especially from her in-laws; Mo, the brilliant, beautiful older daughter, driven by a dangerous recklessness; and Margie, the younger girl, on the cusp of adolescence, who witnesses the clashes and convergences of these three strong wills - until a crisis pulls them together to rescue the family's deepest hopes and dreams.