Songdogs.

COLUM MCCANN

Publication: Phoenix House, 1995, London

First edition. 8vo. Author's first book. Fine in dust jacket. The sad tale of a young man's search for an explanation for the disintegration of his family. Twenty-three-year-old Conor Lyons returns to Ireland to visit his ailing. While there, the life of his family is reconstructed. The story begins with his father's life as a photographer and adventurer wandering first through war-wracked Spain and then through Mexico, where he meets and marries Conor's mother. The couple moves to the U.S. and on to Ireland, where Connor is born. Connor's parents have a turbulent marriage, ending in his mother's mysterious disappearance when Conor is 12. This story is a commentary on the nature of family and identity, memory and loss.

Inventory Number: 95