The Dazzling Truth

Starred review from June 1, 2020

When Maeve Morelli, a just-arrived Brooklyn student, meets Murtagh Moone outside Trinity College, Dublin, it starts a saga that will stay with readers long after they have followed the family's trail from 1978 to 2015. Murtagh, a potter, and Maeve, an aspiring actress, fall hard for each other and are quickly married and then move to Inis �g, an island off the west coast of Ireland, where they raise twin sons and two daughters. The book opens with a search for Maeve, whose body washes ashore with stones in her pockets. The effect of the suicide on each family member and on the clan as a whole is perfectly drawn by Cullen (The Lost Letters of William Woolf), an Irish author living in London, whose time away has not dimmed her ability to write pitch-perfect rural Irish conversations and characters. Maeve's depression hangs over the book, but love is here in spades, too, and the twist in devotion that Murtagh takes to close the story is just right. VERDICT Warn your patrons to clear a weekend for this gorgeous read.--Henrietta Verma, Credo Reference, New York, NY

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2020
Cullen (The Lost Letters of William Woolf) reveals how an aspiring actor’s losing battle with depression impacts the lives of those she loves. In 1978 Dublin, Maeve Moretti is attending Trinity College when she falls in love with fellow student Murtagh Moone, who is drawn to her “Technicolor” radiance without knowing about her dark episodes. When Murtagh is offered an apprenticeship with a potter living on the island of Inis Og after graduation, he accepts the position and asks Maeve to marry him. They wed and move to the island, and Maeve continues working on her acting career, while Murtagh takes over the potter’s business. After the couple has four children, Maeve is overcome by her depression and drowns herself. Murtagh struggles with the motivation to continue his pottery business as the younger children try to understand why their mother left so abruptly. Ten years later, when the siblings come home for the 30th birthday party for the eldest daughter, Murtagh shares some surprising news, and they must decide whether to accept the changes in Murtagh’s life. Cullen’s lyrical prose drives the immersive and heart-wrenching narrative. This complex study of depression and its impact on family dynamics will lure readers. Agent: Kim Witherspoon, InkWell Management.