Summary of The Secret Scripture
Roseanne is approaching her 100th birthday when she writes down her experiences as a young woman in Sligo, which she hides beneath the floorboards of her room in a mental hospital. The second strand of the narrative is the “commonplace book” of Dr Grene, the hospital’s chief psychiatrist, who attempts to trace Roseanne’s history and discovers some hidden secrets about her past.
Reasons to read The Secret Scripture
“The Secret Scripture” is a poignant historical novel about a young woman’s experiences during the Irish Civil War of the 1920s. It explores themes such as the nature of truth, the workings of memory, and the influence of the Catholic Church on people’s lives in Ireland. “The Secret Scripture” won the Costa Book of the Year Award, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and the Irish Novel of the Year Award, all in 2008. Irish writer Sebastian Barry later won the Costa Book of the Year Award again in 2017 for “Days Without End”. Other notable books by Sebastian Barry include “A Long Long Way” and “On Canaan’s Side”. “The Secret Scripture” was adapted into a film in 2016 by Jim Sheridan.
Setting: Sligo (Ireland)
Original title: The Secret Scripture
Year of publication: 2008
Nr of pages: 336
