The Secret Scripture

I have a new found admiration for Irish writers and this year has been the year where I have read a lot of Irish literature. And Barry Sebastian managed to impress me with his beautiful prose and style of writing. Reading this book has been a journey into historical Ireland and I loved every bit of it.

The story takes place in a mental asylum in Roscommon and the narration keeps switching between two main characters. Roseanne, an almost centenarian woman who's been lodged in the asylum for nearly her entire life, reflects upon her past and starts jotting it down on paper.

Meanwhile, the other narrator is, Dr. Green, the psychiatrist who looks after the asylum patients and is now trying to assess the inmates as the asylum is due for demolition and about to be shifted to a new place.

Barry's writing flows like a honeytrap which pulls you in and then hits you in the gut towards the end. It's a tragic story of loss, grief and how we humans have no control over our fate and destiny. The story of endurance and resilience in the face of tragedy and its lasting impact on the human soul. Of how truth is eventually a mere story that we tell ourselves to go on living in this world!

A brilliant read! 4.75 out of 5. I would love to explore more of Sebastian Barry's works!