Where the heart should be by Sarah Crossan

This book is the very definition of poignant! Sarah Crossan has woven a love story into the dreadful times of the potato blight in Ireland. With famine, death and disease a constant companion for the poor Irish workers, they must live alongside English landholders who treat all the Irish with unveiled contempt. Nell, the central teenage character of this book, has obtained a service role as a scullery maid in the local landholder’s home at the beginning of the period of the failure of the potato crops. Her connection to the Landholder’s nephew Johnny grows to become an impossible romance, with both threatened by their interest in one another. But sadly, the scourge of the potato blight leads to the death of many and the subsequent desperation leads some to seek drastic solutions. Will Nell and Johnny’s love survive separation, famine, grief and violence?

Written in Crossan’s beautiful prose poetry, this book resonates with simplicity but unspeakable sincerity as it deals with a fictional account of impossible love in difficult times. The romance element is always charged with danger in the face of societal pressures, and Nell’s wisdom and intelligence shine through the pages. This book will echo through the memory for readers who love historical fiction and romance fiction, but the writing style of prose poetry adds an emotional and lyrical beauty to the harshness of the times and the awfulness of grief and famine. Not every detail of the historical period needs to be explained, but the essence of the history is revealed with a gentle touch despite the dire circumstances.

Highly recommended for readers aged 13+ - Adult.

Themes: Irish history – 1845-1861, Potato Blight, Famine, Romance, Grief, Injustice.

Carolyn Hull