Safe Return Doubtful

Irish Literature – published September 2026

Set in a remote village in the Catalan Pyrenees of the 1950s, this begins with the news that a bridge connecting Llavorsi and Rialp is nearing completion, and though it is seen by some as progress’, many are concerned, not least as it could disrupt the local smuggling trade which has previously taken place by a lengthy journey on donkeys.

This is a follow-up to his (also excellent) novella A Long Winter, though twenty years splits the two books being published.

Set in such a spectacular location, the beauty of the book though, lies in its young protagonist, Miguel, a gay man in Franco’s Spain. His alcoholic mother died the previous winter, lost in a storm. This is a sad tale, one of betrayal, costly mistakes and bad luck. It is beautifully written, a splendid example of what can be done in just more than 100 pages; a powerful story of loss and grief, quite devastating in its last chapters.

My GoodReads score 5 / 5