The Maid's Tale

The Maid's Tale is the story of a priest's housekeeper in the service of the Catholic Church. Its setting is the city of Derry from the late Fifties to the present day - spanning an era when the Church was at the forefront of political change and religious controversy.
The story is told by the housekeeper herself, Brigid Keen. She describes her childhood years spent in an orphanage run by the Sisters of Charity, then her girlhood in a convent school. This is followed by a period of growing self-esteem when she becomes housekeeper to Father Patrick Mann. But all is reversed when Father Mann loses his ability to function as a priest and Brigid, in consequence, loses her position.
Abuse of power is the book's theme. But it also celebrates the discovery of free expression on the part of some of the victims of powerful groups. Brigid's narrative bears witness to this. She refuses to be silenced. She tells her story in her own style. It is her way of insisting on being heard and being taken into account.