Connellys of County Down : A Novel by Tracey Lange (2023, Hardcover)

The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange is a tender, emotionally rich novel about brokenness, loyalty, and the messy work of healing. Tara Connelly, just thirty, returns home after serving eighteen months in prison on a drug charge. With little to her name, she moves in with her siblings her brother, a single dad still recovering from a brain injury, and her sister, whose outward stability masks deep fractures. As Tara tries to rebuild her life, she faces not only her own guilt and regrets, but old wounds within her family. Secrets bubble up, loyalties are tested, and unexpected love with a detective who once arrested her forces her to confront what holding on and letting go really mean. Lange weaves Irish myths and fairy tales into the story, giving texture to a narrative grounded in domestic struggle and redemption. The result is a novel that reminds us that family is both the burden and the lifeline, and that honestyeven when painfulis the first step toward healing.