ULSTER ALIEN: Part 1 - The 1970s

by Stephen Birkett

A POIGNANT COMING OUT STORY SET AMIDST THE TROUBLES OF NORTHERN IRELAND In 1968 Matthew is a young schoolboy and his best friend, Danny is the wrong religion. The gradually the increasing sectarian conflict in Northern Ireland tears their worlds apart. This is a story of how an isolated gay boy struggles to come to terms with his nature and his quest for fulfillment against a hostile world of bombs, bullets, and bigotry.Of all the books I've read in recent years that address the coming-out process, the finest is Ulster Alien. Beyond the issue of sexual self-discovery, which the novel explores admirably, the book also offers a glimpse into Ireland's turbulent, convoluted political situation. In a very real sense, then, it provides an unadorned lesson in modern Irish history, and for this reason was especially valuable to a non-Irish reader like myself having only limited knowledge of that nation's political state of affairs. The novel's characters are also true to life, as well as likeable, and the pace, brisk. In all, Ulster Alien is a warm, absorbing, and edifying book.Marc E Vargo, Author of 'The Mossad'; 'Women of Resistance' and 'Scandal' amongst others

308 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 8, 2019

Reviews

[Shane Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting read, for sure! I will admit that history is not a strength of mine and my interest in it isn't all that great either, so because of this there were portions in the book where my interest temporarily wandered. Regardless of this though, the story told in this book held my interest and curiousity all the way through!
I'm going to strongly think about picking up the rest of the series when able to afford doing so!