Before the Fall
Page 23
It’s the same for all of us who call ourselves Irish, as Brexit politics energise the prospect of a united Ireland, as advances in women’s and LGBTQ+ rights teach us something about relatively peaceful revolution, as the never-ending movements of emigration and immigration show up our notions of nation.
In the final book of the trilogy In The Hour, again set in San Francisco, California and Wexford, Ireland, it is now 2010 and Jo Devereux is a single mother, living with her son Richard, the baby who was born at the end of Before The Fall.
Richard (“Don’t call me Ritchie!”) has a secret, which Jo knows about but they never discuss, but that–and Jo’s enduring loneliness–aside, they have been as happy as a mother and son can be. But now, as Richard enters his teens, life is growing fraught.
As he sets about breaking free and becoming his own person, Jo begins to question her long-held narrative about her own coming of age. When he starts his own investigation into his father and his grandparents, new secrets come tumbling out. Jo realizes that there were questions she never even thought to ask.
In the Hour finds that scouring through family history is a process greatly helped by the Internet. Richard has no need to travel to Ireland as Jo did back in 1995 and when he finds Rory online, and now a widower, Jo’s carefully constructed life begins to fall apart again.
You can find In the Hour here.
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More Books By Orna Ross: Fiction
My novels are family murder mysteries, stories of lies, secrets and the ties that bind, across centuries and continents
—The Irish Trilogy—
An epic trilogy that follows five generations of women as they move through the momentous dramas of the 20th century.
—The Yeats Trilogy—
A famous poet, his revolutionary muse, and her confused daughter. What is true and what can only be imagined?
—Blue Mercy—
A heart-breaking, mother and daughter mystery, with a patricide at its heart.
* * *
You can buy my novels directly from me on my website, or on your favorite online store
More Books by Orna Ross: Poetry
My poetry aims to inspire. It doesn’t deny doubt, damage or despair but seeks that secret space where we can also transact with the truth of beauty.
* * *
—Chapbooks—
Chapbooks of inspirational poetry: Ten poems at a time.
* * *
—Themed Poetry Selections—
Here is Where: A Book of Remembrance Poetry
Allowing Now: A Book of Mindfulness Poetry
Nightlight as it Rises: A Book of Love Poetry
* * *
—Occasional Poetry Selections—
Poetry for Christmas
Poetry for Mother’s Day
And more
* * *
POETRY BOOKS:
You can buy my poetry books directly from me on my website, or on your favorite online store
* * *
BECOME A POETRY PATRON:
You can become a patron of my poetry on Patreon.com/OrnaRoss.
My Patreon page is supported by a band of poetry lovers and indie poets who receive exclusives and bonuses from me. It’s also where I feature the work of other indie poets through #indiepoetryplease
Acknowledgments
My thanks to Jane Dixon Smith for cover design, to Margaret Hunter of Daisy Editorial for editing and proofreading and to Sarah Begley and the Book Whisperer team, especially Emily Volpe, for assistance with editorial and formatting. As in After the Rising I wish to pay tribute to Wexford’s talented and devoted local historians. I am greatly indebted to their work, particularly that which acknowledges the lives of women.
Publication Note
The early parts of this trilogy were first published in 2006 by Penguin Ireland as Lovers Hollow, and subsequently republished by me in 2011, and further developed into a trilogy. This allowed me to give the books the title and treatment I had first envisaged when writing the books.
The joy of that self-publishing experience, and the experience of selling more books than Penguin, made me a passionate advocate for indie authors and led to the formation of the Alliance of Independent Authors.
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Copyright © 2011 Orna Ross
Centenary edition © 2020
All rights reserved
ebook: 978-1-913588-53-3
Paperback: 978-1-913588-54-0
Large Print: 978-1-913588-55-7
HB: 978-1-913588-56-4
Audio: 978-1-913588-57-1
Font Publications is the publishing imprint for Orna Ross fiction and poetry, the Go Creative! books and the Alliance of Independent Authors author publishing guides.
All Enquiries: info@ornaross.com