Rites of Passage: Five Irish Stories

In traditional Irish storytelling fashion, Thomas J. Rice delivers five gritty, realistic tales of corruption, terror, hope, and redemption. The two novellas and three short stories in Rites of Passage center on family drama and mystery and are set in late-twentieth-century rural Ireland.

“Rites of Passage,” the title novella, follows a man from his adopted home in Boston back to Ireland to confront the priest who molested him decades earlier. Does he seek revenge for the pain that torments him or find closure?

The second novella, “Hard Truths,” focuses on a conflict between a philandering, hard-drinking father and his fourteen-year-old son that turns deadly. It was featured in The Best American Mystery Stories of 2012, edited by bestselling writer Robert Crais.

The collection is rounded out with three short stories that tackle subjects such as death, a family outing gone wrong, and lighthearted fun from the perspective of an altar boy. As in most Irish stories, female characters play key roles.

Readers who have followed the recent controversies surrounding the Catholic Church and the conflict in Northern Ireland will find these stories especially interesting, though the drama, mayhem, and mystery will appeal to anyone who loves an engaging plot.

Thomas J. Rice was born in County Carlow, Ireland. As a teenager, he moved to New York. He studied at Cornell University before becoming a sociology professor. He cofounded the Interaction Institute for Social Change, which has a mission to support social justice.

Rice is now a full-time writer who specializes in novellas and short stories. His stories include "Border Calls," "All Souls' Day," and "The Night of the Arabian." His novella "Hard Truths" was selected for The Best American Mystery Stories in 2012.

He also published Far from the Land, a memoir about his childhood in post-World War II Ireland. His latest work is Carby's Fate.

Rice makes his home in Andover, Massachusetts, and Peaks Island, Maine.