Comments   Summary   Excerpt   Reviews   Author Notes

Summary: Set In Belfast in the lat esixties, Bernard MacLaverty's latest novel takes us into Martin Brennan's final semester of high school, whn he finds old friendships tested and is forced to face the unknown future. Before he can become an adult, Martin must unravel the sacred and contradictory mysteries of religion, science, and sex; he must learn the value of friendship; but most of all he must pass his exam--at any cost. With characteristic "wise humor" (Publishers Weely), MacLaverty "moves beyond the cloistered realm of school to capture the rhythms and pressures of provincial life, as well as Martin's desire to overcome them." (Denver Post). This absorbig, often funny novel "turns high anxieties and pain into well wrought fiction. MacLaverty has a wider vision, greater depth and technical crft than J. D. Salinger, a more subtle style than William Goldign and a moral imagination to match that of James Joyce" ( Toronto Globe and Mail).