On Canaan's Side: A NovelLonglisted for the Booker Prize, a mesmerizing new novel from the award-winning author of Old God's Time A first-person narrative of Lilly Bere’s life, On Canaan’s Side opens as the eighty-five-year-old Irish émigré mourns the loss of her grandson, Bill. Lilly, the daughter of a Dublin policeman, revisits her eventful past, going back to the moment she was forced to flee Ireland at the end of the First World War. She continues her tale in America, where—far from her family—she first tastes the sweetness of love and the bitterness of betrayal. Spanning nearly seven decades, Sebastian Barry’s extraordinary fifth novel explores memory, war, family ties, love, and loss, distilling the complexity and beauty of life into his haunting prose. |
Contents
Section 1 | 3 |
Section 2 | 11 |
Section 3 | 25 |
Section 4 | 41 |
Section 5 | 55 |
Section 6 | 67 |
Section 7 | 85 |
Section 8 | 95 |
Section 11 | 143 |
Section 12 | 161 |
Section 13 | 177 |
Section 14 | 203 |
Section 15 | 217 |
Section 16 | 231 |
Section 17 | 247 |
Section 18 | 258 |
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Common terms and phrases
America Annie arms asked beautiful Bere Bill body bring called Cassie child Cleveland coming course dark death didn't Dillinger door dress everything eyes face fact father fear feel felt fire gave girl give given gone hand happened happy head hear heard heart human Ireland Irish keep killed kitchen knew later laughing less letter light Lilly live looked loved married matter Mike mind morning mother never night Nolan passing person poor remember seemed side singing sister sitting smile sometimes song sort stood story strange Street suddenly suppose sure Tadg talk tell things thought told took trying turned waiting whole Willie Wolohan woman wonder writing young