For ugly sons of abusive alcoholics, a sense of belonging doesn’t come easily. Just ask Damien Aloysius Mulqueen. This son of Irish Catholic immigrants wants nothing more than structure and acceptance, but he’s learned—all too early—that the world can be a cruel place.Nonetheless, he begins to find approval in a most unlikely place: a private school. Despite the wealthy upbringing and snooty parents of the students, his dedication as an English teacher and his ability to inspire a love of poetry in many of his pupils, earns him affection and respect.Determined to improve the school and leave his mark, Mulqueen ushers in a new era in which disenfranchised students are permitted to apply. But these ideas rub many of his old, irascible colleagues the wrong way. Although widely admired by his students, he is resented by his peers, which causes significant challenges. And—he fears his faith in his childhood religion is gradually slipping away.Despite his struggles, he devotes all his energy to his students. Then he meets Fiona, a fire-haired Brit who fills him with inspiration—just as a mysterious illness strikes, causing his health to rapidly decline.With his body and mind steadily deteriorating, will he perish before finding the love he has so desperately yearned for? Read Less