"The Queen of Dirt Island" is about raising a child, so it's a novel that immediately has an "in" with me. Eileen marries in a way that displeases her family; she sets off on her own. Right after she has her first child, her spouse is involved in a fatal car accident. As a single mom, Eileen doesn't always think clearly. For example, there is a moment when the daughter (Saorsie) is revealed to be pregnant. Saorsie's frenemy wrongly concludes that the baby is a product of unsisterly "boyfriend-stealing." When the frenemy screams allegations--on the sidewalk--Eileen has the option of drawing the curtains. But instead she (lightly) physically assaults the frenemy. Eileen also second guesses her own choice of baby-name--"Saorsie," or Freedom--because the priest thinks a more traditional "Mary" would be better. And Eileen's sororal/fraternal messiness spills into Saorsie's life. One day, Saorsie finds her uncle close t...