Ring Road

Big Davey Jones is returning to his small hometown after almost twenty years away, yet the locals have never stopped talking about him. His birth was treated as a miracle because he was the seventh son of a seventh son, and the town has felt grateful ever since.

The town has changed in his absence. Longtime shops such as Billy Finlay's Auto-Supplies and Calton's Bakery and Tea Rooms have given way to promised housing developments and a nightclub called Paradise Lost. The residents, however, have changed far less. Bob Savory, who was always ambitious, has made a fortune with his firm Sandwich Classics and now plans an Irish-themed restaurant on the ring road.

Francie McGinn, a divorced minister at The People's Fellowship, continues his efforts to win the town over with Fish-and-Chip Biblical Quiz Nights and a Good Friday Carvery & Gospel Night. Meanwhile Sammy, the town's top plumber, is as gloomy as ever and looks for comfort at the bottom of a whisky bottle. The novel offers a detailed portrait of small-town life, combining comedy with emotional weight.