Dublin author tackles Catholic church abuse crisis from the inside

John Boyne is one of Ireland's best selling authors, but until now he's never set a novel in Ireland. With A History of Loneliness, the acclaimed Dublin-born author tackles the abuse crisis in the Catholic Church from within the institution itself. Cahir O'Doherty talks to him about his new work.

When John Boyne was 13, one of his old school teachers in Terenure College in Dublin used to keep a wooden stick up his sleeve that he called Excalibur. Already a fearsome looking thing, he improved it by taping a metal weight to the top to maximize the injuries to the boys.

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