Heap Earth upon It

Howarth (Sunburn) captures the rhythms and underlying tensions of an Irish village through the eyes of multiple characters in her alluring sophomore outing. After an unexplained scandal, the details of which come out later, the four orphaned siblings of the O’Leary family leave Kilmarra, resettling in remoter, smaller Ballycrea in 1965. This indigent quartet, said derisively by locals to have arrived via “donkey and trap” (it was a pony), attracts the notice of compassionate Betty Nevan and her husband, Bill, who are childless and have a small farm. Not much happens plot-wise, but Howath builds tension by rotating the short chapters between the first-person narratives of Betty and siblings Tom, Anna, and Jack (the youngest, Peggy, is a toddler). The group encounters curious villagers, from the gossipy Ciara Moore to innocent Liam Hennessey, who has eyes for Anna. As the siblings settle into the community and jockey for their place within the Nevan family, Anna develops a growing affection for Betty, and the novel gradually blooms into a sapphic love story in which each woman’s burgeoning understanding of her own sexuality affects all the characters. An additional layer of suspense comes via the incremental revelation of the reasons behind the siblings’ exodus from Kilmarra. It’s an engrossing chronicle of restlessness and desire. (Feb.)