Julie McDermot has just been released from ‘The Mental’, the psychiatric institution where her husband committed her after the devastating loss of their two infant children. Returning to her narrow, lonely life along the canal, Julie is haunted by grief and the aching absence of what might have been.

As she struggles to piece herself back together, an unexpected encounter with a stranger along the canal offers a glimmer of connection and the fragile possibility of hope. Their encounter also brings long-submerged realities to the surface, to a place where they can no longer be ignored; exploring Ireland’s dark history of institutional incarceration and offering a profound glimpse of hopein a stunning portrait of a woman’s life.

More Information
ISBN 9781843519720
Author John Mackenna
Publisher Lilliput Press
Publication date 13 Feb 2026
Format Paperback
Weight 0.450000
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You're reviewing:John Mackenna : The Lock-Keepers Wife (Irish Fiction)

John Mackenna : The Lock-Keepers Wife (Irish Fiction)

John Mackenna
Special Price €12.99 Regular Price €15.99

Moving and deeply evocative, this novel is a powerful meditation on sorrow, isolation, and the surprising ways joy can return to even the most broken heart.

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