The Lobster Pot

Ireland, Rathmore Forest, 1988: She dreamt the hut he had built for his old trysts was still there, among the roots and the boat engines and the decaying yew trees. She saw the shovels in their usual place, leaning against the wall. She knew there would be no need for consecrated ground

Ireland, Rathmore Forest, 1988. Kitty lay on the forest floor for a long time, her body adapting to the rocks beneath the grass. She was in no hurry to go home. Tommy wouldn't be looking for her. He would go straight to bed, counting down the nights until he could escape Rathmore and her, his rotten roots. He never asked her about her own life and ambitions, never assumed she wanted anything more than to snare a local man and have his babies. She dreamt the hut he had built for his old trysts was still there, among the roots and the boat engines and the decaying yew trees. She saw the shovels in their usual place, leaning against the wall. She knew there would be no need for consecrated ground. Three decades later, Kitty returns to her childhood home to find her village as twisted as she found it. She needs to find her brother, without getting entangled. But how do you remember what you've tried to forget?