Soon after the Anglo-Irish Agreement, when the tension was at a peak in Northern Ireland, Colm Tóibin travelled along the Irish border from Derry to Newry.
Bad Blood tells of fear and anger, and of the historical legacy that has imprinted itself on the landscape and its inhabitants.
Marches, demonstrations and funerals are rituals observed by the communities that live along this route. With insight and intelligence Tóibin listens to the stories that are told, and unfolds for the reader the complex unhappiness of this fraught border.
Author Information
Colm Tóibín was born in Ireland in 1955. He is the author of ten previous novels, including The Master, Brooklyn, and The Magician, and two collections of stories. He has been three times shortlisted for the Booker Prize. In 2021, he was awarded the David Cohen Prize for Literature. Tóibín is the current Laureate for Irish fiction.