One by One in the Darkness

One by One in the Darkness is an account of a week in the lives of three sisters shortly before the start of the IRA ceasefire in 1994, undercut with the story of their childhood in Northern Ireland of the 1960s and 1970s. The history of both a family and a society, One by One in the Darkness confirms Deirdre Madden's reputation as one of Irish fiction's most outstanding talents. 'Her authority when writing on her native Northern Ireland is supreme . . . beautifully written . . . an author with a rare talent . . . haunting and beautiful.' Literary Review 'No other book has left me with such a lasting impression of the hurt of Northern Ireland.' Sunday Tribune 'Ambitious and wide-ranging . . . skilfully constructed . . . particularly good at the way in which the past constructs the present, how intense memories transfigure current experience . . . A quiet and effective psychological realism.' Independent on Sunday

Deirdre Madden is from Toomebridge, Co. Antrim. Her novels include One by One in the Darkness, Authenticity, Molly Fox's Birthday and, most recently, Time Present and Time Past. She has twice been shortlisted for the Orange Prize. She teaches at Trinity College, Dublin, and is a member of the Irish Arts Academy, Aosdána.