I really wanted to read an Irish-set story when I was in Ireland. I managed to find two books. One was a mystery for adults. The other was the young adult novel A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd. I held off reading the book until I was well and truly on the Emerald Isle.
And I fell in love.
The book was stunning. Beautifully written and devastatingly heartbreaking. It's part mystery and part family drama, among other themes. I cannot say enough about this book.
And then, about four months after I finished the book, I learned that Siobhan Dowd had died of cancer. I actually cried. All I could think was that the world was robbed of so many exquisite stories.
Fortunately for the readers of the world, she finished other books before she passed. She has another YA novel, Bog Child, which is set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, and a children's novel, The London Eye Mystery, which is a terrific mystery.
She has another YA book, Solace of the Road, coming out in October. I can't wait to read it.
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