West to Donegal Bay takes the reader on a mystical adventure to two Irish islands - Arranmore in Ireland and Beaver Island in America. It is a story of a young man without a family, who retreats within, only to be thrust into a world of intrigue, mystery, and romantic entanglements. The "Irish troubles" and historic grievances on a remote Lake Michigan island collide as islanders avoid confrontation with mysteries known only by its Native Americans. The cultural conflicts surrounding the historical identity of Beaver Island as a refuge for Irish, Mormans, and Chippewa reveal a spiritual quest for understanding that climaxes when island children begin to disappear. Only one young man will be able to redeem the island's history and resolve the mystery.
West to Donegal Bay is a novel of islands. It captures the sublime experience of "being apart" in places where time is suspended. Islands arise out of the mist as a dream or apparition. People who live on islands often define themselves in terms of this difference. Crossing to the mainland is referred to as "going over," as if the crossing were an unnatural act or a betrayal of a way of life. Island visitors go to escape, to reflect upon their destiny, or simply forget. Islands pull one inward to self and away from the incessant race of modern turmoil.
Because island cultures often elude a visitor's understanding, we are drawn to them. Beaver Island is a place where past, present, and future mingle in a strange and mystical embrace. If we are to save our islands as places of spiritual renewal, apart from the ravages of modern life, we must understand the power of their splendid isolation. We must learn to appreciate their magnificent capacity to inspire thought about who we are, were, and hope to be. West to Donegal Bay is a journey of the spirit to a place that exists only when we "cross over."
