'Deft touches of humor and an artful grasp of this world . . . accomplished' WASHINGTON POST
Eager to escape her failed marriage, Ellen hopes to recapture the magic of her childhood when she decides to leave Dublin for the small village where she spent her summer holidays. Her elderly uncle welcomes her with the rather mystifying advice to play it 'civil and strange' - meaning she should be polite to people, but keep her distance.
In Matt and his widowed friend, Beatrice, a woman coming to terms with devastating loss, Ellen makes good friends and she begins to glimpse how village life can be sustaining. But she also sees its narrow side when, to her surprise, she attracts the attentions of a younger man and becomes the focus of spiteful gossip. Her uncle's words resonate in a new way and she starts to question what she's doing with her life and whether she's made the right decision in abandoning city life.
But as the events of this tumultuous year play out in all three of their lives, it becomes clear to Ellen that starting over again isn't about where you are but what's going on inside . . .
'The author's ear for dialog is pitch-perfect, and her characters are complex and often flawed, underscoring their authenticity . . . masterly' LIBRARY JOURNAL
