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Cover of The Secret Scripture by Sebastian BarryThe Secret Scripture
Modern · Fiction, War, Ireland

The Secret Scripture

by Sebastian Barry
2008 · 481 pages · Fiction
56.1Must-Read
Score Modern
Critics' pick
≈ 12 hours to read · about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day

What it's about

Roseanne McNulty is nearly a hundred and has spent most of her life in an Irish psychiatric hospital that is about to close. She is secretly writing the story of her life. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Grene, must decide whether she can be released, and he begins investigating why she was committed. Their two accounts slowly reveal what happened to her in 1930s Sligo.

Why it's worth reading

It won the Costa Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It's a lyrical, heartbreaking story about Ireland's treatment of women.

You'll love it if you liked

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AtonementIan McEwan

Good to know

It deals with institutional cruelty and the loss of a baby. The ending has a twist some find contrived.

By the numbers

56.1Must-Read Score
  • Readers15 out of 100 · counts 42%
  • Critics32 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
  • Bestseller9 out of 100 · counts 14%
  • Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%

Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.

Where it ranks

Why it made the list

Shortlisted
Booker Prize finalist (2008)

Reads as

Moving

How we rank

Already read it? Upload your Goodreads or StoryGraph history and get the 50 best books you haven't read, tuned to your taste.Get my 50

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Explore the best-of lists

All 36 best-of lists →
Modern booksTop 25 · 1,573 rankedBooks of the 2000sTop 25 · 490 rankedFantasy booksTop 25 · 459 rankedMysteries and thrillersTop 25 · 555 rankedLiterary novelsTop 25 · 309 rankedMemoirs and biographiesTop 25 · 290 rankedScience fiction booksTop 25 · 313 rankedRomancesTop 25 · 233 ranked

Quick answers

Is The Secret Scripture worth reading?

Yes. It won the Costa Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It ranks #2,669 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 56.1 (the best book we found scores 99).

What is The Secret Scripture about?

Roseanne McNulty is nearly a hundred and has spent most of her life in an Irish psychiatric hospital that is about to close. She is secretly writing the story of her life. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Grene, must decide whether she can be released, and he begins investigating why she was committed. Their two accounts slowly reveal what happened to her in 1930s Sligo.

How long does it take to read The Secret Scripture?

About 12 hours (481 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.

What should I read after The Secret Scripture?

If you liked it, try Days Without End by Sebastian Barry, Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín or Atonement by Ian McEwan.