Home / Arts and Entertainment / New Novel Unearths Ireland's Famine Ghosts
New Novel Unearths Ireland's Famine Ghosts
25 Nov, 2025
Summary
- Maggie O'Farrell's novel explores Ireland before and after The Famine.
- The story follows a father and son on the Great Ordnance Survey project.
- The book delves into themes of separation, recovery, and hidden histories.
A new novel, Land, by celebrated author Maggie O'Farrell is set to be released next year. This much-anticipated book is set in Ireland during the critical period preceding and following the Great Famine, also known as The Great Hunger.
The narrative focuses on a father and son engaged in the Great Ordnance Survey, a significant undertaking to map the entire nation for British purposes. While the father is committed to preserving a record of the catastrophe, an unexpected encounter profoundly alters his path, introducing themes of separation and resilience.
O'Farrell describes Land as a story about the enduring impact of history, colonization, and personal upheaval. It intertwines tales of buried treasures, overlapping lives, and persistent echoes of the past, emphasizing that nothing truly disappears, especially concerning land and history.
