Published in 2002 and written by William Trevor, The Story of Lucy Gault is a novel telling the story of a girl named Lucy. The book is split up into three sections that make up her life: her childhood, her maturing into adulthood, and her older life. Lucy lives in Ireland during the 1900s and the turn of the century, and she is an only child.During the Irish War of Independence, which happens when she is a young child, Lucy’s father accidentally shoots a boy in the shoulder. The parents decide that they must move to England, but Lucy isn’t told why (she doesn’t know that her father shot a boy) and she doesn’t want to leave. She goes to hide in the woods and her parents believe that she drowned in the ocean.
The Story of Lucy Gault tells of Lucy’s life before, during, and after her parents leave without her to England and her growth and maturing from that point forward. Many more events happen after her parents leave and Lucy continues with life in Ireland. These things build up the themes in the book of maturity, family, and secrets and how much they destroy.
