Synopses & Reviews
The Whipping Club explores the sacrificial secrets we keep to protect our loved ones and the impact that uncovered secrets have on marriage, family and society. Both a wrenching family drama and a harrowing suspense story, it chronicles an interfaith couple's attempt in 1960′s Ireland to save their son from corrupt institutions.
Review
"Henry weaves multilayered themes of prejudice, corruption and redemption with an authentic voice and swift, seamless dialogue. Her prose is engaging, and light poetic touches add immediacy. Echoing the painful lessons of the Jewish Holocaust, Henry's tale reveals what happens when good people remain silent. A powerful saga of love and survival." Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Review
"The prose of The Whipping Club is gripping, and almost poetic in its emotional depth, while the research is concise and accurate, and the story haunting....The Whipping Club holds the promise of a long and meaningful career for Deborah Henry as a serious writer. Bravo!" Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Review
"Deborah Henry's eloquent, magnificently designed novel....A story that will draw out every straw of emotion in your soul. This is the best novel I have read in three years." Herald de Paris
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About the Author
Henry's first short story was published by The Copperfield Review, was a historical fiction finalist for Solander magazine of The Historical Novel Society and was longlisted in the 2009/10 Fish Short Story Prize. The Whipping Club is her first novel. She lives in Fairfield, Connecticut with her husband and their three children. She is currently at work on her next book.