I found this book, about a long relationship (and on-again-off-again romance) between a young Irish couple, to be one of the best novels I’ve read all year.  The writing is amazing. The author really gets into the heads and minds of the two main characters, very deftly chronicling their pain and their passion, as their relationship goes through some major ups and downs over the course of several years.  Her use of language is precise and incisive, and I instantly found myself relating to the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters in the book. I really didn’t expect myself to get so immersed in this book, but I found myself really caring about the characters and what happened in their lives.  Really fabulous.