Anything but Steady

At 100 years old, Northern Ireland yearns for reinvention. Exasperated that peace hasn't yet brought reconciliation, she handpicks Ella Goldin, an American PhD student, to set out her true destiny. But is Ella really the right choice for this mighty task? What can a tenacious yet uninitiated Jewish New Yorker lacking local ties, possibly contribute?

Wrestling with the smoke and mirrors of war and peace, Ella in anchored to Northern Ireland first by will, then by academic duress. All the while, Northern Ireland herself can't keep mum when it comes to surprising revelations, emerging as a storyteller in her own right.

The duo's entwined quest encounters emotional reversals and witty twists, creating the first-ever testimony by (let's be frank) an unpredictable piece of Earth about her troubled legacy.

Dr Ofrit Liviatan teaches in the Department of Government at Harvard University. Her academic work cultivated this debut novel. Earlier in her career, Ofrit was a lawyer, and she credits that profession for galvanizing her fascination with the power of a good story.

Ofrit resides in Lexington, Massachusetts, with her husband and two daughters.