The Birdskin Shoes

"He had seen it, just as clearly as the day it had happened, right there in front of him. He'd felt it with all his senses, and she had too. He stumbled, opened his mouth and a long groan slid out of it, like a foghorn, warning the ships of the past to stay away, but too late, too late." Born with feet so skilful they can even sense the restless shifting of the earth, Joey Pachuca is king of the high-wire, thrilling crowds in a Mexican circus. But he carries a dark secret. He may have changed his name, but the tragic events that caused him to run away from Ireland all those years ago will not let him be. The Birdskin Shoes is a marvellous story of love and redemption that transports the reader from the grey skies of rural Ireland to the dazzle of the Mexican circus in the company of Joey, a young man with a remarkable gift but a guilty conscience. This unusual novel is in turns gritty and enchanting, moving and funny, insightful and wise. Readers who enjoyed Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, The House of Spirits by Isabel Allende and Chocolat by Joanne Harris would enjoy this novel. For readers 18 years and above.