In Last Days in Cleaver Square Patrick McGrath weaves a compelling portrayal of a Spanish Civil War veteran approaching the end of his life and haunted by a moment of betrayal buried deep in his past.
It’s 1975 and Francis McNulty is sleeping fitfully; the air is thick with Spanish jasmine floating in from his overgrown garden and he’s not sure whether he’ll be woken by General Franco sitting on the end of his bed. A veteran of the Spanish Civil War, Francis is tormented by grief and guilt about a brief, terrible act of betrayal from that time, and he’s started seeing his old nemesis on the street, in the garden and now in his bedroom. Neither he nor his daughter Gillian, who lives with him in Cleaver Square, know what to do.
‘This is a wonderful, thrilling novel . . . in Last Days in Cleaver Square McGrath has broken through to new depths of insight and emotion.’ John Banville
‘Wonderful. So atmospheric, engaging and engrossing . . . all the characters and relationships were superb.’ Cathy Retzenbrink
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