Time of the Child

Time of the Child is a work of literary fiction by Irish novelist Niall Williams. A companion novel to Williams’s This Is Happiness (2019), Time of the Child is set in the fictional village of Faha. It delves further into the characters’ lives introduced in the preceding title. The novel was originally published in October 2024 by Bloomsbury Publishing. Since its publication, Time of the Child has been named a New York Times Editor’s Choice, a Sunday Times Best Historical Fiction Book, and WORLD Magazine’s Fiction Book of the Year.

Set in the weeks preceding Christmas 1962, the novel is written from the third-person point of view and traces the intersecting lives of Jack Troy; his daughter, Ronnie Troy; and their neighbor, Jude Quinlan. On the night of the Christmas Fair, Jude wanders around town while waiting for his father to finish up at the pub when he finds an abandoned baby outside the local parish. Convinced that the child is dead, he races her to the Troys’ house. Jack, who is a doctor, revives the baby. In the following weeks, he and Ronnie try to care for the baby in secret. Afraid that his conservative, Catholic townspeople won’t let him integrate the child into his family, Jack starts concocting plans to protect himself and Ronnie. The novel explores themes including The Redemptive Power of Love, The Interplay Between Stasis and Change, and The Strength of Familial Bonds. 

This guide refers to the 2024 Bloomsbury Publishing hardback edition.

Content Warning: The source material and guide feature depictions of child abuse, substance use, illness, and death. 

Plot Summary

The novel opens on the first Sunday of Advent in 1962. Jack Troy attends Mass with his 29-year-old daughter, Ronnie Troy. Throughout the service, Jack’s mind wanders. He thinks about his unrequited romance with the late Annie Mooney and realizes that he’s still in love with her. He remembers his late wife Regina Troy’s death, as well as his younger daughters Sophie and Charlotte Troy’s departures from the Faha community.

Suddenly, Father Tom falters amid his address, awakening Jack from his thoughts. The congregants look to Jack to help Tom, as Jack is a doctor and runs the local surgery, Avalon House. Jack waits for Tom to recover himself, hoping that he’s all right. Just as Jack moves to help Tom, Tom remembers what he was saying and completes his sermon without issue.

After church, Jack and Ronnie drive through town in relative silence. Jack loves Ronnie but doesn’t know how to talk to her anymore. He studies the surrounding landscape, feeling hopeless and defeated. Then, the father and daughter stop at Mossie and Aine Crowe’s house. Aine has had several strokes recently and is on her deathbed. After Jack checks on her, he discovers Ronnie in the kitchen with Mossie. He notices her writing the Crowes’s grandson Noel Crowe’s name on the blackboard and wonders if she and Noel were in love. The narrative shifts into the past as Jack tries to remember the circumstances surrounding Ronnie and Noel’s relationship. Recalling his relationship with Annie, Jack suddenly fears that he thwarted Ronnie and Noel’s romance years prior. Before leaving, he procures Noel’s new address in the United States from Mossie.

The narrator shifts away from Jack’s storyline to inhabit 12-year-old Jude Quinlan’s point of view. On the day of the Christmas Fair, Jude helps his father, Pat Quinlan, round up the cows. Then, the father and son lead their cattle to the fairgrounds. Jude hopes that they can sell the herd and make enough money to enjoy the holiday. However, he’s afraid that Pat’s drinking and gambling habits might compromise the day’s success. After arriving at the fairgrounds, Jude and Pat part ways. Jude wanders through the fair, suddenly energized by all the market stalls and dealers. Then, he walks to the graveyard and visits his late brother Patrick Quinlan’s grave. The narrative shifts into the past as Jude recalls the circumstances surrounding Patrick’s death. Pat blamed Jude for the tragedy, insisting that God took Patrick because he spared Jude as a baby. Staring at Patrick’s headstone, Jude wonders why God would’ve wanted him to live. He continues wandering around, eventually ending up back at the church, where he discovers that someone left a baby outside the parish gate.

The narrator shifts away from Jude’s storyline to follow Ronnie’s storyline. Ronnie’s sister Charlotte stops by to have Ronnie tailor her dress. While Ronnie works, Charlotte nags her about leaving Faha and getting married. After Charlotte heads home, Ronnie sits alone in her room and reflects on her rural life. She tells herself that she’s content helping Jack with his practice and writing stories in her spare time. She sits down at her desk to start a new tale when she notices a light coming across the field toward the house.

Carrying the baby, Jude knocks on the Troys’ door and calls Jack for help. Jack takes the baby into his office and revives her. He then gives her to Ronnie, who’s instantly moved by holding her. Jude heads out, promising not to tell anyone about what happened. Afterward, Ronnie and Jack feed and settle the baby.

The narrator shifts away from Ronnie and again inhabits Jack’s consciousness. In the days and weeks following the baby’s arrival, Ronnie devotes herself entirely to her care. Jack falls in love with her, too. One day, he even dances with her in the kitchen. Moved by the scene, Ronnie announces that she wants to name the baby Noelle and have her christened.

Jack tries to decide what to do about Noelle. Because Ronnie isn’t married, he fears that the church will take Noelle from her. He therefore devises a plan for her to marry Noel. He writes to Noel and sends him airfare to return to Faha to see his dying grandmother. Jack is convinced that when Noel comes for Aine’s funeral, he and Ronnie will rekindle their relationship and start a family with Noelle. However, he soon discovers that Noel has no intention of returning home. Worse, when Ronnie learns of Jack’s plan, she sneaks out with Noelle one night, determined to move to England and create a life for herself away from Jack and Faha.

Jack wakes up and discovers that Ronnie and Noelle are missing. Desperate to retrieve them, he races out on the icy roads and crashes his car. After he recovers from his injuries, he returns home to find that Ronnie and Noelle haven’t left the country after all. Shortly thereafter, Jack, Ronnie, and Noelle attend Christmas Mass together. During the service, the townspeople pass Noelle from pew to pew. Meanwhile, Jack reviews his new plan: He will have Charlotte and her husband formally adopt Noelle so that Ronnie can continue caring for her at Avalon House.