Siofra O'Donovan: Malinski [2000]

Two young brothers in Lvov, separated by war. Henryk, imprisoned by theNazis with his mother in the family home, flees with her ahead of the advancing Soviets, eventually settling in Ireland. Stanislav takes refuge with an aunt in Krakow, where he lives out the decades of his life. Half a century later, after the fall of communism, Stanislav receives a letter: Henryk, who now styles himself Henry Foley, is coming for a visit. Malinski is a novel of memory and loss, an exploration of the ways in which human beings invent themselves and imagine other people's lives. It is written with a concentrated grace that announces Siofra O'Donovan as a major new talent in Irish fiction.