THE STOLEN CHILD

Set on an enchanted island off the west coast of Ireland where magic, faith, and superstition pervade the inhabitants’ lives and tangled relationships—perfect for fans of Eowyn Ivey, Sarah Waters, and Angela Carter.

May 1959. From one side of St. Brigid’s Island, the mountains of Connemara can be glimpsed on the distant mainland; from the other, the Atlantic stretches as far as the eye can see. This remote settlement, without electricity or even a harbor, has scarcely altered since its namesake saint set up a convent of stone huts centuries ago. Those who live there, including sisters Rose and Emer, are hardy and resourceful, dependent on the sea and each other for survival. Despite the island’s natural beauty, it is a place that people move away from, not to—until an outspoken American, also named Brigid, arrives to claim her late uncle’s cottage.

Brigid has come for more than an inheritance. She’s seeking a secret holy well that’s rumored to grant miracles. Emer, as scarred and wary as Rose is friendly and beautiful, has good reason to believe in inexplicable powers. Despite her own strange abilities—or perhaps because of them—Emer fears that she won’t be able to save her young son, Niall, from a growing threat. Yet Brigid has a gift too, even more remarkable than Emer’s. As months pass and Brigid carves out a place on the island and in the sisters’ lives, a complicated web of betrayal, fear, and desire culminates in one shocking night that will change the island, and its inhabitants, forever.

Steeped in Irish history and lore, The Stolen Child is a mesmerizing descent into old world beliefs, and a captivating exploration of desire, myth, motherhood, and love in all its forms.

Lisa Carey received an MFA in Writing from Vermont College in 1996 and has been writing and publishing novels ever since. Her first novel, The Mermaids Singing, was published by HarperCollins. Her next three novels were published by William Morrow Her work has been translated into twelve languages and optioned for film. Every Visible Thing was the winner of a Lambda Literary Award for Fiction. Love in the Asylum was the Winner of a Massachusetts Book Award. She has been awarded fellowships at The Hawthornden Castle Writer’s Retreat (1996), The Tyrone Guthrie Centre at Annaghmakerrig (1995-1999), The MacDowell Colony (2004, 2012, 2013), The Virginia Centre for the Creative Arts (2013, 2014) and Ragdale (2015). She lives in Portland, Maine, with her family.