Kaethe

Cromwell's New Model Army attempts to eradicate the Irish in 1649, and young Emer sees atrocities. She's then taken to Connaught with her uncle's family where she slowly starves for years, before being sold off at 14 to a wealthy "husband". She sets sail for the Caribbean and gradually, by degrees over years, becomes a pirate.And also, at her death, she's cursed with the dust of a hundred dogs to be reincarnated as a dog one hundred times.And after that she is reincarnated as a human in contemporary Pennsylvania, the youngest of five children, early identified as a genius and the hope of a family sliding into destitution.It's an odd story, but the pieces fit together beautifully. The memory of what Emer endured, and the violence she perfected, gives the modern Saffron extra reserves to call upon, as well as a clear view of the world. Her brother is an addict who will steal and sell anything to feed his habit. It's no good angsting about it, just hide anything important and carry on.Good choice for anyone who suffers from stabbiness in the presence of others.Library copy.