The promise of light
(Book)

The Promise of Light is a joltingly authentic literary adventure by Paul Watkins, a brilliant young novelist The Philadelphia Inquirer has called "the presumptive heir to the Hemingway/Mailer/Crane/Remarque war-chronicling Mantle of Genius." The year is 1921. Ben Sheridan, the son of an Irish immigrant, is about to grab his share of the American dream. He takes a job at a bank to escape the sleepy Rhode Island backwater where he grew up, but even before he can say his good-byes, an explosion injures his father - and irrevocably transforms Ben's life.

Ben learns that the man was not really his father, and sets out for Ireland to learn the truth about his family and his past. His odyssey thrusts him into the middle of a bloody struggle between soldiers of the newly formed Irish Republican Army and savage British troops known as the Black and Tans. As Ben struggles to understand his origins, he must also struggle to survive the war that comes hunting for him across the blazing green of Irish summer fields. The Promise of Light brings to life a time when ancient prophecies came true and patriotism found its voice at the end of a shotgun barrel. Set against the rugged beauty of the Irish landscape and a country's fight for independence, Paul Watkins has written an unforgettable novel of one man's search for identity.