Requiem

Beautifully written in a style which combines poetic feeling with a scrupulous attention to the truth of things, Requiem is an enchanting and lyrical portrait of childhood and growing up. It probes the tragic-comedy of Irish convent Catholicism with a rare power and sensitivity and continues to disturb long after it has been finished.The story of Cecilia's adolescence is exquisitely told in a style that is both economic and exuberant. There are moments of near-Joycean epiphany. ... the plot is tight and the narrative startling.