The main character is an old woman, Roseanne McNulty, who now resides in the Roscommon Regional Mental Hospital.

She calls it "Roseanne's testimony of herself" and charts her life and that of her parents, living in Sligo at the turn of the 20th century.

[6] This was despite the misgivings of the jury, one of whom, Matthew Parris, said "They agreed that it was flawed, and almost no one liked the ending, which was almost fatal to its success.

[9] In May 2008, the novel was adapted and abridged by Neville Teller for BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime with Doreen Keogh and Alex Jennings voicing the roles of Roseanne and Dr. Grene, respectively.

[10] A film version, also titled The Secret Scripture, was directed by Jim Sheridan and stars Rooney Mara and Vanessa Redgrave.

[13] Other stars include Eric Bana and Theo James[14] as well as Irish natives Jack Reynor, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, and Aidan Turner.