ISCARIOT

by Tom Phelan

Frank Molloy, an expatriate and a former priest, returns to Ireland to the village of Davinkill. It is the town where he grew up, the town that decades earlier sent him out into the world as a newly ordained priest, the town that was scandalized when he left the priesthood–and the Church–and the town where his own brother has long since disowned him. Eddie Keegan, Frank's childhood friend, remained in Davinkill–and in the priesthood. But Father Keegan looks down on his congregation, experiencing feelings of revulsion as he serves them communion. And in his haunted memory, a ghastly crime has festered for years. In Davinkill, social sanctity hides a lie. But now, past and present must meet and confront one another. ISCARIOT takes place in Ireland in the early 1990s, at a time when the Irish church held far greater power than it would hold two decades later. It was a time before the Celtic Tiger, a time before the clerical abuse scandals came to light, a time when most Catholics went to Sunday mass, a time before divorce was permitted in Ireland, a time before birth control was available for over-the-counter purchase. The Irish monetary system was the punt, or pound; the euro had not yet been adopted. From the Reviews"This is a novel about religion, families, sex, guilt and joy–with a "whodunnit" narrative that keeps you reading to the last page…Iscariot promises suspense, darkness and redemption–it delivers." –Cork Examiner "Tom Phelan's second novel leaves us in no doubt about his talent as a keen…observer of humanity…Tom Phelan’s world is tempered with a warm, forgiving humanity." –Sunday Tribune "Tom Phelan’s impressive second novel is sometimes moving…always gripping." –An Phoblacht"An outstanding novel reflecting the human realities of priestly celibacy today." –Leinster ExpressAbout the AuthorTom Phelan was born and reared on a small farm in Mountmellick, County Laois, in the Irish midlands. He attended St. Patrick’s in Carlow, was ordained a priest, and worked for several years in the south of England. Later he moved to the United States, earned a master’s degree from Seattle University, and left the priesthood. He now lives in New York. Tom had just turned fifty when his first novel, In the Season of the Daisies, was accepted for publication by Lilliput Press in Dublin. Books Ireland’s reviewer wrote, “The most obvious question posed by a novelistic debut with as much resounding vigour as this Where has Mr. Phelan BEEN?” In the Season of the Daisies, which centers on the 1921 IRA murder of a young boy and the effects on the survivors, was chosen for the Discover Great New Writers series sponsored by Barnes & Noble. It was also a finalist for the Discover Great New Writers Award. Since then, Tom has penned five other Nailer, The Canal Bridge, Iscariot, Derrycloney, and the forthcoming Lies, and he has seen his works published in four countries and three languages. He has also written for Newsday, the Irish Echo, Independent.ie, Connect, and the Recorder, the journal of the American Irish Historical Society. He was named a 2008-2009 Fellow of the Christopher Isherwood Foundation based on his novel The Canal Bridge. Tom has given readings and talks at the West Cork Literary Festival, King’s Lynn Fiction Festival, Hofstra University Summer Writers Conference, Irish Writers Centre, American Irish Historical Society, New York University Ireland House, the Irish Cultural Society, the Irish Family History Society, Villanova University, Molloy College, and scores of other venues.

349 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Tom Phelan had just turned fifty when his first novel, In the Season of the Daisies, was accepted for publication. One reviewer later wrote, "The most obvious question posed by a novelistic debut with as much resounding vigour as this is: Where has Mr. Phelan BEEN?"

Since then, Tom has penned a memoir, We Were Rich and We Didn’t Know It: A Memoir of My Irish Boyhood, and five other novels: Nailer, The Canal Bridge, Iscariot, Derrycloney, and Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told.

His novels deal with such themes as Irish soldiers in World War I, the effects of ancient animosities, returned emigrants, the Irish industrial schools, the priesthood, and life in rural Irish communities.

In We Were Rich and We Didn’t Know It, Tom looks back on his formative years growing up in Co. Laois, Ireland, and working with his wise and demanding father as he sought to wrest a livelihood from a small farm.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune says, “Tom Phelan's memoir of his boyhood is exceptional….Phelan's prose has an unpretentious beauty.…With rich detail and sensitivity, We Were Rich translates for us a rural world that has disappeared.”

Newsday calls We Were Rich and We Didn’t Know It, is “a nimble exercise in storytelling…a series of richly detailed vignettes....Plain, honest, funny, occasionally sad and rich in material detail, this [is a] wonderful memoir....This is the real thing.”

Kirkus Reviews gave the memoir a starred review, indicating a work of exceptional merit. It called the book "a tender recollection of growing up on a farm in Ireland” and said, “In precise, vibrant prose, Phelan creates...a captivating portrait of a bygone time."

Publishers Weekly called We Were Rich “a rich and colorful snapshot of the times that shaped Phelan.” And the blog For the Love of Books said, “At a time when we have so much and are satisfied with none of it, Phelan’s story is one of grace and beauty.”

In the Season of the Daisies, which centers on the 1921 IRA murder of a young boy and the effects on the survivors, was chosen for the Discover Great New Writers series sponsored by Barnes & Noble. It was also a finalist for the Discover Great New Writers Award.

Iscariot tells the story of an expatriate
ex-priest who returns to Ireland to face the past and stumbles across the suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of a young woman.

In the humorous Derrycloney, Tom looks at life in the Irish countryside in the 1940s. He calls the book his "fanfare for the common man and woman" of his childhood.

The Canal Bridge, set in Ireland and France in the First World War, is the story of two Irish soldiers – and the lovers and families they leave behind – as they struggle to survive the slaughterhouse that was Europe from 1914 to 1918. The Irish Independent calls it a “masterpiece…ambitious, accomplished and deeply moving.”

Tom’s novel, Nailer, which Books Ireland calls "a hard-hitting thriller," is about a man determined to get revenge – or is it justice? It is set against the backdrop of Ireland's abusive industrial schools and the collusion between state and church that allowed them to flourish.

Lies the Mushroom Pickers Told is a tale of two returned emigrants and their effect on the Irish village they call home. Shelf Awareness calls it “a masterful portrait of Irish village life disguised as a murder mystery.”

For more information, please see www.tomphelan.net.

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another well-written book by Phelan, this one making me think of the bible scripture that speaks of pointing out the mote in thy brother’s eye when you have a log in your own. Meet a bunch of self-righteous bigots, from the church priest to the town drunkards.

Aptly named Iscariot probably due to his abandoning the faith at a time when people highly valued the priesthood, I imagine the townspeople thought of Frank Molloy as a Judas - a traitor, and as such, they ostracized him. Even though he felt free, at times he still couldn’t seem to shake the vestiges of religiosity’s deep-rooted tentacles. He returns home knowing he’s facing his brother Gregory’s ire.

Father Keegan, on the other hand, remained in the priesthood. He deals with the unbathed, sour-smelling townspeople, many of whom would rather drink their meager earnings away than to take care of their own families. He holds his breath as he’s serving communion to some of the most vile. He knows their secrets while he keeps his own tightly guarded. When an accident occurs, everything threatens to surface.

This is a novel about secrets, disdain, cowardliness, self-righteousness, sex, mystery, and forgiveness.