The time of the baby

The 1960s have arrived, and so has electricity, but life in Faha—a small Irish village permanently drenched in rain—seems to have changed little. At least not for Jack Troy, the village doctor. Two of his three daughters may have left, but Ronnie has stayed, and together they continue to care for the ever-sick community.

A few weeks before Christmas 1962, an abandoned baby is found outside the village church. And while the feeling reigns that everything is heading steadily towards its inevitable decay, the brazen arrival of new life will shock the wisdom of the world.

"Perhaps the most beautifully written novel I've read this year, in every line"

The Washington Post

"I cried... Williams reminds us of our universal humanity, and the vitality of a community in unity"

The New York Times

"An irresistible emotional experience that doesn't let up until the final dramatic climax"

The Guardian

"His language is exquisite, his use of figures of austerity and irony is masterful, his portrayal of the characters is wonderful"

The Observer

"It gives the reader an unparalleled sense of closeness to the magical"

NPR

"The subtlety with which Williams renders the mystery of interactions, human and divine, offers a quiet warmth"

Financial Times