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AN IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER'Brilliant and intriguing' - Colm Toibin'An accomplished and atmospheric debut' - Irish Examiner'Outstanding' - Irish Times'Perhaps the strongest Irish debut novel of the year' - RTE Book of the Week'An amazing novel' - Oliver Callan"The lad is a bit like a stray dog. I keep an eye on him and throw him a few scraps. There are plenty of people in this town who'd just as soon drop him off in the wilderness and hope there's no scent to follow home. The problem is that Patrick could find his way out of any wilderness and they wouldn't like whatever starved thing came back."Sergeant Jim Field feels a guilty paternalism for Patrick Hatten, a young man struggling to find a job, a life and a purpose in a small-town Wexford community. Both are used to being on the fringes but while Jim is a romantic with bad health and regret, Patrick is full of anger and action, and his actions could have devastating effects.