cover image Over the Water

Over the Water

Maude Casey. Henry Holt & Company, $15.95 (246pp) ISBN 978-0-8050-3276-5

A feisty Irish girl comes of age and discovers the strength and beauty of her family heritage in this emotional novel. As a teenager in England, Mary Maeve feels stifled by her mother's strict rules. She is not allowed to socialize with classmates, dress in the latest styles or have a boyfriend; she's to attend school and Mass only. Although Mary was born in England, her sour, Irish-immigrant mother is terrified of standing out as an alien. Mammy cautions her children: ``Keep your business to yourself,'' and ``Don't get involved with anyone.'' Not until Mary makes a painful visit ``over the water'' with her family does she learn the cause of her mother's bitterness and to accept and appreciate her people and their country. Casey's ambitious plot lays out a number of difficult themes--adolescent angst and rebellion; abusive parents; and the struggles that immigrants face. Fortunately, the young heroine's first-person narration steadily maintains the novel's focus. Ages 12-up. (May)