STRANGER FROM ACROSS THE SEA - Regina McBride

 

ABOUT THE BOOK -

As a teenager, Violet O’Halloran spent a summer at a Catholic boarding school in Northern Ireland, emptied of all other students but one: Indira Sharma, a blind girl from India with an extraordinary story. The beautiful but ultimately catastrophic friendship that formed between the two girls would go on to haunt Violet for years.

A decade later, Violet meets an Irishman, Emmett Fitzroy, at a party in New York City and is swept into an intense romance that brings her back to Ireland. While there, she unearths the stunning answers to mysteries left unresolved when Indira vanished from her life.

Set in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles, Stranger from Across the Sea explores place, displacement, and exile and the ways in which the personal and the political are inseparable. At its heart, this is a story about a passionate friendship between two singular young women, one that transcends the limits of time and distance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR -

Stranger from Across the Sea is Regina McBride’s fifth novel. She is also the author of a book of poetry and, most recently, a memoir, Ghost Songs. Her novel, The Nature of Water and Air, was a Booksense pick (Independent Book Stores selection), a Barnes and Noble Discover Great New Writers book, and a Borders Original Voices choice. It was optioned for a film. A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York Foundation for the Arts, she lives in New York City where she teaches creative writing and fiction writing at Hunter College.

MY THOUGHTS -

A beautiful story written in a dual timeline, which I love, taking place in both Ireland in the 1970's and New York in the 1980's.  A coming of age story about a fast friendship that develops between two young girls, Violet and Indira.  They had so many differences and yet so many similarities that drew them together. A friendship that is both good and bad and full of secrets. Ones that will haunt Violet for years. 

This book was more like reading prose with it's vivid descriptions of both the setting and the friendship between the girls.

But that's not all... there is an after story of sorts. One of mystery, love, and haunting secrets and memories making you wonder if Violet will find peace.

A very unique, original and interesting read.

I voluntarily posted this review after receiving a copy of this book from TLC Book Tours -  Thank You!!