Brooklyn by Colm Toibin

[Shona]

The plot is set in Ireland and America during the 1950s. The main character  Eilis travels from a small country town in Ireland to fast-paced New York city. She gradually settles into her new environment and with the help of Irish priest she secures employment at a department store in Brooklyn. She meets Tony, an American from a poor Italian family and begins a friendship which turns into a romance. After receiving tragic news from family in Ireland, which threatens her future happiness, Eilis returns home to Ireland and must face the decision to stay or return to a life in America.

This is an engaging and well written novel, which was short listed for the Booker Prize.