Star of the Sea

A novel written by Joseph O'Connor, about a number of refugees aboard a boat, called Star of the Sea, who are escaping from 1840s famine-stricken Ireland.


 * Abusive Parents: David Merredith's father.
 * Arranged Marriage: David Merredith is predisposed to women of his own class only.
 * Charles Dickens: He makes an appearance in the novel, and the writing itself has a certain Dickensian air.
 * Crapsack World: Starvation, disease, evictions and violence are rampant, and nobody cares.
 * Dead Person Impersonation: Pius Mulvey, crippled and unemployable, kills a schoolteacher in order to take his job and survive.
 * Great Escape: Pius.
 * Irish Priest: Nicholas, Pius's brother, becomes one of these.
 * Shoot the Shaggy Dog:
 * Tangled Family Tree: