I first heard of this book when it was chosen by
broadcaster Laura Whitmore as her ‘Bring Your Own Book’ for the BBC's “Between
the Covers” program. She described Louise O’Neill as a “beautiful
Irish writer,” and that whilst this novel is a work of fiction it is based
loosely on similar events that have happened in the past in Ireland.
Years ago, I listened to a true crime podcast called “West
Cork” on Audible. It was the fascinating, yet harrowing tale of the murder of Sophie
Toscan du Plantier near her holiday home in Co. Cork in December 1996. Whilst
suspicions were rife, no-one in Ireland was ever charged with her death,
although there has always been whispers that locals knew more than they were
letting on. This novel has echoes of that, and that is why I added it to my TBR
pile.
“Nessa Crowley's murderer has
been protected by silence for ten years.
Until a team of documentary
makers decide to find out the truth.
On the day of Henry and Keelin
Kinsella's wild party at their big house a violent storm engulfed the island of
Inisrun, cutting it off from the mainland. When morning broke Nessa Crowley's
lifeless body lay in the garden, her last breath silenced by the music and the
thunder.
The killer couldn't have escaped
Inisrun, but no-one was charged with the murder. The mystery that surrounded
the death of Nessa remained hidden. But the islanders knew who to blame for the
crime that changed them forever.
Ten years later a documentary
crew arrives, there to lift the lid off the Kinsella's carefully constructed
lives, determined to find evidence that will prove Henry's guilt and Keelin's
complicity in the murder of beautiful Nessa.”
The Kinsella family have it all. Henry and Keelin have two
beautiful grown-up children, a son and a daughter, they live in a gorgeous mansion
on the small island of Inisrun, and they are wealthier than most people dream
about. But is it just an illusion? Ten years ago, Keelin held a birthday party
in which one of the infamous “Crowley Girls” died. The small island community
blamed Henry, but he was never arrested, and no-one was found guilty of
committing murder. The Kinsella’s become unpopular inhabitants on the island,
and the disdain shown by the islanders who treat them with suspicion causes a
tense atmosphere, one in which Keelin now deems it necessary to live a life of
enforced solitude.
Two Australian filmmakers have arrived on Inisrun to film a
documentary about the infamous death, a documentary which Henry hopes will help
to clear his name and put the past behind him. The story is told via interviews
with various island residents and Keelin Kinsella; however, it becomes clear
she isn’t comfortable telling her version of the story to the camera.
