The Mermaids Singing

When Cliona leaves the Irish island of Inis Muruch, the Island of the Mermaids, for Boston, she dreams of a new life. But when she returns to the island years later with a fierce and beautiful daughter, Grace, both women have known the disappointment of lost love. Grace's love for Seamus is all that connects her to her new home, but hers is a passion shaped by fear of being hurt. She slips away by night with her baby daughter Grainne and flees to Boston where she was born. At fifteen, Grainne returns to Ireland with her grandmother, Cliona, to find the father she has never known. There she tries to understand the choices made by the women who have gone before her. With that understanding comes a knowledge of the mermaids of Inis Muruch, who desert their lovers for their dreams of the lonely sea, leaving behind the pain and responsibility that love brings...