She tries to persuade her husband, John, to join her but he is embroiled in his affairs in Ireland and caught up in the civil war. Nevertheless, Ellie is extremely happy and fully embraces her sophisticated new life. When her father dies, she must return home, but she intends to sort her affairs quickly and then return to her beloved America.

But once home her sense of duty kicks in and she decides, painfully, that she must stay to look after her mother and resume her marriage. Ellie is suddenly thrown into the simple, rural life she believed she had grown out of…

Ellis Island is a feel-good story about love, freedom, belonging and the meaning of home. It's a satisfying read that Stylist thinks has `film adaptation' written all over it.' -Stylist Magazine

'Kerrigan beautifully evokes the difficult struggles facing the rural Irish in the 1920, juxtaposed with the chance of a better, more glamorous life in New York.' -Radio Times

'Ellis Island is an epic love story.' -Irish Sunday Independent

'a beautiful and poignant read'
-Northern Ireland News Letter