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A fatal car accident in 1987 has years of repercussions in Norton's latest, following A Keeper (2019). Connor Hayes, who was driving the car when the crash killed three of the passengers, banishes himself from Mullinmore, first to Liverpool, then eventually to New York, where he lives freely as an out gay man as he never would have been able to in Ireland. Meanwhile, his sister, Ellen, is courted by Martin Coulter, the doctor's son who was also in the car that day, though their marriage soon turns cold and unhappy. The narrative also portrays other villagers, but the story focuses on Connor and Ellen, moving back and forth in time from the late 1980s to 2012 and 2019, chronicling their lives while the larger implications of the accident are left unspoken. Norton has a knack for capturing the sturdy, melancholic small-town Irish life where secrets are only revealed when they have to be, and even then in a controlled fashion. His characters come to vivid life, sweeping readers up in this quiet, affecting novel.

TV host Norton's excellent third novel (after A Keeper) explores the aftermath of a tragedy as it plays out over decades. In 1987, a car accident outside a small Irish town leaves three dead the day before a wedding--including the bride and groom--and sends into a tailspin two young men who were also in the car when it crashed, Martin Coulter and Connor Hayes. Over the years, Martin and Connor deal with the repercussions of the accident and wrestle with guilt over the deaths in diametrically opposite ways. While Martin attempts to make amends, Connor buries the past and lies to those around him about his involvement. With surprising twists and touching moments, Norton explores the immense sense of loss that comes with being a survivor, and how nothing is ever truly forgotten for the families of those who died. While Martin and Connor settle into new lives in London and New York, a chance encounter and Martin's entreaties to the families of those who died in the crash force Connor to confront his role in the accident. Norton delicately covers themes of abandonment, death, and loss with sophistication and thoughtful empathy: "time might be able to numb, it could distract, but it was incapable of truly fixing anything." This gripping and compassionate outing is Norton's best yet. (June)