James Ryan was an unknown when his first novel, Home from England, appeared on the Irish literary scene in 1995, but he was a well-connected unknown; since his late mother-in-law was the renowned Irish short-story writer Mary Lavin, and his wife, Caroline Walsh, is the literary editor of the Irish Times, he was not exactly a stranger to the world of professional Irish writing. Ryan has earned a great deal of notice, by both reviewers and his fellow writers, since his literary debut. His first three novels all received favorable reviews, and reviewers and literary critics alike have associated Ryan with a long and illustrious list of Irish literary notables. His thematic interests in issues such as the dysfunctional Irish family unit, the domestic sphere, emigration from and return to Ireland, and the clash between traditional, conservative Irish ways of life and a more modern, cosmopolitan sensibility have resulted...