An Irishman in Portland
Thanks to a Dublin novelist, readers on the Emerald Isle know every dark corner of Maine.
By Agnes Bushell
Certain place names evoke feelings and images even for people who have never been there. It's always spring in Paris, and couples are sitting in cafés, falling in love. It's always grim winter in Moscow, while in San Francisco, it's always Gay Pride Day. And here in Maine, it's always a dark and stormy night, and a Great Evil is haunting the woods. If the word Maine carries creepy associations, we have writers to blame. Stephen King is the prime culprit to spring to mind. Another is the Irish -- yes, Irish -- writer John Connolly, the author of six highly successful and very spooky mysteries set in Maine, the latest of which, The Black Angel, even comes with a CD "soundtrack.
