But Come Ye Back — Beth Lordan

Mary Curtin, a young Irish nanny, and Lyle Sullivan, an American accountant, meet and fall in love at a picnic. For thirty-some years, Lyle, an impatient and demanding husband, makes a life for them in America. Through those years the accommodating Mary makes a home for them, where they raise two sons. But when Lyle retires, Ireland calls to Mary: she wants to grow old among her own kind, where the ocean is near and the butter has flavor. She wants to go home.

Somewhat grudgingly, Lyle agrees, but during their years in Galway, they discover that the surprises of life are not over. Going home is more complicated than butter and the bay, and thirty contented years does not mean that a couple is immune to romantic intrigue. Their bond is tested when Lyle meets a beautiful American woman and Mary finds a lonely Irish man. Yet for both, marriage is more than romance, home is more than a country. In this new life, Mary and Lyle will rediscover each other and are building a richer life together when an unexpected event forces Lyle to decide where his home truly is.

Lordan's stirring novel illuminates the complex emotional terrain of mature marital relationships, providing an unforgettable testament to the lifelong journey undertaken when lives intersect and intertwine. Masterful in its evocation of character and place, and suffused with the rhythms and flavors of the Irish seaside, But Come Ye Back is an astonishing and infinitely wise reflection on love in all its guises.