An archipeligo with three islands, one where the eite live in comfort and luxury, one where support staff live in squalor and repression, one where old people go and young people come back. Director Proctor, the Ferryman of the title, is responsible for the old folk side of things, but when it's his sort-of-father's turn, things start to fall apart in his comfortable world. So what's that all about, then? 

In terms of story and genre, there's only a handful of ways these sorts of stories can go, so you either roll with it or you don't. This is very well written, and Cronin drops hints here and there such that the inevitable revelation makes narrative sense. No complaints there, it's a good read if not stunningly original. Bits of it felt overwritten, but the male narrator, Brick, may have contributed to that, being a rather expressive reader, leaning equally fulsomely into the language and the action, which is not to my taste; I do like strong readers, but with a more understated approach, conveying rather than occupying the text. Still, it feels like it'll be a satisfying summer blockbuster beach read for lots of people.