Civil and Strange

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The premise of Cláir N Aonghusa's new novel "Civil and Strange" is a little shaky. Ellen, a married woman pushing 40, finally escapes from a loveless marriage in Dublin and retreats to the picturesque village where she spent lovely days in her youth. Go figure - Ellen just might find love again. You might want to call this "How Ellen Got Her Groove Back." But overall Aonghusa makes this work, thanks in large part to the book's second most important character, Ellen's Uncle Matt, who himself knows a thing or two about unhappy marriage, but also dispenses undeniably sage advice about life and love. Aonghusa has written poems and short stories - "Civil and Strange" is her first novel. ($24 / 320 pages / Houghton Mifflin)

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