Boy and man - Niall Williams

When a loved one disappears, you can never be sure whether they are alive or dead

Jay once content with life in rural Ireland, left his childhood home and those who loved him to embark on the journey of his life in search of his father. Now Jay is fully grown and living in a mission hospital in Africa. Alone without his family or his roots, he has given up his quest.
Back in Ireland, the man known as the master is recovering after a terrible accident. Sure that his missing grandson, the only person left of his family, is alive somewhere, he cannot rest untill he knows for sure.
Both men are seeking, amid the human suffering they are surrounded by, to have their belief in life confirmed. And for both of them, its the kindness of strangers which brings comfort. From the travelling nun to the Polish builder, for the trusting truick driver to the released prisoner, it is these strangers who guide us on life's journey and who help bring the missing home to each other.