Set in the hills of Northern Ireland in the 1960's and 70's, A Son Called Gabriel is a deeply felt and often funny coming-of-age novel that is ultimately unforgettable. Gabriel Harkin, the eldest of four children in a working-class family, struggles through a loving yet often brutal childhood. It's a turbulent time in Ulster, and in the staunchly Catholic community to which Gabriel belongs, the rigid code for belief and behaviour is clear. As Gabriel begins to suspect that he s not like other boys, he tries desperately to lock away his feelings, and his fears. But secrets have a way of being discovered, and Gabriel learns that his might not be the only one in the Harkin family.