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Fiction Prize Winner Donal Ryan Releases Where Are the Kings

8/19/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Donal Ryan, Fiction prize winner, released *Where Are the Kings* where 12-year-old Jack cannot save his mother, who drives her Fiat into a lake and dies by suicide.
The story takes place in a fictionalized County Tipperary, with Jack living with grandparents, uncles and an aunt after his father Tomáš is institutionalized.
It portrays “grief-time” and uses headings like Tempus Edax, Tempus Fugit and Tempus Imperator to stress mortality.

History

Historical Context

In 1847, the “Black ’47” year of the Great Irish Famine saw roughly one million deaths and another million people flee Ireland. British administrator Charles Trevelyan limited relief to £1.5 million, fueling lasting resentment toward London. Donal Ryan’s 2024 novel *Where Are the Kings* revisits that trauma through an orphaned child, linking the famine’s legacy to contemporary Irish memory.

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Story summary

Donal Ryan, Fiction prize winner, released *Where Are the Kings* where 12-year-old Jack cannot save his mother, who drives her Fiat into a lake and dies by suicide.
The story takes place in a fictionalized County Tipperary, with Jack living with grandparents, uncles and an aunt after his father Tomáš is institutionalized.
It portrays “grief-time” and uses headings like Tempus Edax, Tempus Fugit and Tempus Imperator to stress mortality.

1 / 2