Returning to Belfast

After a long absence, to attend her father`s funeral, Catherine McKenna—a young composer—remembers exactly why she left: the claustrophobic intimacies of the Catholic enclave, her fastidious, nagging mother, and the pervading tensions of a city at war with itself.

Memories of the Past

She remembers a more innocent time, when the Loyalists Lambeg drums sounded mysterious and exciting; she remembers her shattered relationship with the drunken, violent Dave, she remembers the child she had with him, waiting back in Glasgow.

The Novel

This is a novel, about coming to terms with the past and the healing power of music, GRACE NOTES is a master storyteller's triumphant return to the long form: a powerful lyrical novel of great distinction.