ON THE RUN

In this novel, a close-knit Irish family deals with a blend of personal struggles and politics.

Set in the Irish coastal seaport of Mullaghmore, Sligo, in the late 1970s, Shaw’s engrossing tale follows Terence Connolly; his wife, Bridget; and their teenage son, Tim, who collectively operate a multigenerational, rustic sheep farm. Terence has “mastered all the essential skills of the Sligo farmer: building trampcocks, slicing turf, raising sheep and cattle, sea gathering, weaving fish nets, and fishing.” As father and son work the fields in the shadow of nearby Classiebawn castle, a tragic event shatters the peace and tranquility of the community. A fishing boat owned by the castle’s occupant, Lord Earl Mountbatten, Queen Victoria’s great-grandson, is suddenly blown apart, killing the royal dignitary and several of his relatives, including his young grandson. The culprits reveal themselves as members of the Irish Republican Army who had murdered 18 British soldiers just hours before in opposition to encroaching British rule. Years later, as Terence travels with his aged father, Brian, a decorated war veteran, they become the target of British soldiers who question their allegiances, and they end up jailed and abused in Maze Prison in 1982. Tim is soon sent to America to stay with his aunt Mary in New York City, and it is there where his true coming-of-age begins. Though his new classmates at school are vicious and hostile, Tim overcomes that by distinguishing himself on the track team and outrunning all of his competitors. He also finds true love with aspiring athlete Gina Carbone. Based on historical events, Shaw’s novel presents an absorbing and unique narrative that explores familial struggles against a backdrop of violent political unrest. The author’s prose is delicate and descriptive, and the story is leisurely paced and appealingly atmospheric, with sharply drawn characters readers will remember. At one point, an emboldened Bridget tries to intervene on behalf of her husband’s incarceration with the help of her friend Maeve Grogan—a fearless liberator and feminist—despite a hunger strike by Terence and a revenge ambush on the Mullaghmore farm.

An impressive work of historical fiction that satisfyingly educates, illuminates, and entertains.