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Masterful! Dowd weaves multiple plot lines throughout this compelling story and there is never a moment when the pace falters or the story loses the way. Fergus McCan and his vague Uncle Tally cross the border that divides Ireland to dig peat at a construction site. They discover the body of what appears to be a child and the police of both side's authorities appear on the scene only to learn that the body is ancient. Mel, the young girl, appears at intervals in Fergus' dreams, slowly revealing her story as Fergus struggles with exams, family problems, a brother in prison who has joined the Bobbie Sands' hunger strike, and moral dilemmas of his own. The various stories are seamlessly interwoven, propelling the reader through the book. While the themes are serious and many of the situations grim, there is a wonderful hopeful optimistic feel to this story that despite sadness and strife, there is hope and much reason to treasure life. This is a wonderfully written book that utterly aborbed me.