Requiem — Berlie Doherty

The first part of Requiem is set in Ireland, and beautifully derscribes Cecilia's growing up in a small close-knit family and community.She attends a Catholic convent school and struggles to fit in. Her passion is music. The second part of Requiem moves to Venice, where Cecilia comes of age through her performance as a singer, and romantically through her brief but passionate affair with a childhood sweet-heart.

The Independent newspaper reviewer said of Requiem: 'Moments of near-Joycean epiphany... the plot is tight and the narrative startling.'

Berlie Doherty has received many awards for he fine writing, including (twice) the prestigious Carnegie Medal.