Description
In a small Irish community, a young woman—pregnant after abuse by her own father—finds her private suffering pulled into the public arena. As political, legal, and religious forces circle her case, Mary is pressured from every side, turning her search for safety and dignity into a struggle over power, morality, and truth. With unflinching clarity, the novel explores how institutions respond to sexual violence, and how communal judgment can compound trauma rather than heal it. Edna O’Brien’s distinctive, emotionally charged storytelling brings a hard-won intimacy to a story of vulnerability, resilience, and the cost of being made a symbol instead of a person.
Available Editions
paperback
Phoenix
Published Jan 1, 1997
298 pages
ISBN: 9781857998733
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Details
First Published
1996
Language
eng
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for Down by the River by Edna O’Brien.