For Cal, some choices are devastatingly simple... He can work in an abattoir that nauseates him or join the dole queue; he can brood on his past or plan a future with Marcella. Springing out of the fear and violence of Ulster, Cal is a haunting love story in a land were tenderness and innocence can only flicker briefly in the dark.

This new addition to the Vintage list coincides with the Vintage publication of MacLaverty's Booker-shortlisted title, (Grace Notes. Cal) is the classic story set in Northern Ireland.