Una Moss has come a long way from the bewildered, lonely girl whose parents died in a tragic car accident when she was eight years old. Now a promising pre-med student of the University of Cork, Una lives the carefree life of co-ed, studying and whooping it up in the pubs with her colourful group of friends. To top it all off, she meets Aidan Ferrell, an intriguing and charming architectural draughtsman - who may just be "the one".
Growing up in the quiet fishing village of Cobh, Una had only a vague idea that her grandfather was hiding something from her. But when he and his drinking buddies suddenly are implicated in a scheme to transport arms for the IRA, the dark secrets of her family's past seep into her life and transport her to a world in which political loyalties can turn even lovers and family members against each other. When her life spins out of control and changes irrevocably, Una learns the hardest lesson of all - how difficult it is, no matter the cirumstances, for people to genuinely know and understand one another.
Thomas Moran's novel tackles myriad themes challenging you with questions of trust between fathers and sons, lovers, and best friends. According to Publishers Weekly, the book "superbly portrays the nuances of loyalty. Moran shows exactly when self-interest leads Una's friends to betray each other, and he captures the roles the cowardly, the greedy, the dim and the faithless all play in warfare, even on its fringes."
