Today I am chatting with my friend Rebecca about YA magical realism novel, The Stones of Burren Bay, by Emily De Angelis.
Take a listen as Rebecca and I chat about the plot, characters, Irish/Celtic spiritualism, Native American culture and spiritualism, grief/grieving, and more!
The first fifteen minutes are spoiler free!
A little about The Stones of Burren Bay:
In a tragic car accident, 15-year-old Norie loses her deadbeat father while her distant mother is injured. Her prized possession, an antique artist’s box that traveled from Ireland with her great-great-grandmother, is destroyed along with her deep connection to her art.
As Norie grapples with her self-identity, obscured by grief and anger, she and her physically and emotionally fragile mother are forced to relocate. With no other relatives to rely on, they call on the kindness of her mother’s oldest friend Dahlia and her daughter Wil, who run the Jolly Pot Tearoom and Burren Bay Lighthouse Museum on Manitoulin Island.
Dahlia introduces Norie to ancient Irish Celtic spiritualism and opens the thin veil between the past and present where Norie encounters the echo of a century’s old spirit, Oonagh. Through Oonagh’s own story Norie comes to terms with her father’s betrayal and death and rediscovers her passion for art. As her mother’s emotional wounds reach a crisis, Norie realizes they must face their guilt and grief together in order to heal and become reunited as mother and daughter.
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