Promise of Light: A Novel
It’s the unusual death of Ben Sheridan’s father that stalks him throughout this novel. Sheridan’s search takes him from his small Rhode Island town to the Ireland of 1921,throwing him forcefully amidst the fledging IRA to unravel the threads of his past.
Watkins aptly displays the confusion, terror and passion for Irish independence, while gently weaving in a young man’s bewilderment regarding his heritage and future. I found Watkins’ dialogue light and passionless compared to the symphony of his descriptive passages. Nevertheless, I was spellbound by this simple yet discerningly stirring story of both Sheridan and Ireland’s individual yet mingled struggle for independence.
