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5
TUESDAY
Keith Ridgway writes about a contemporary Dublin that James Joyce never knew existed: a struggling, changing city, home to both an active gay scene in the Temple Bar neighborhood and the religious conservatism that legally forbade the 14-year-old rape victim in the widely publicized 1992 “X” case from seeking an abortion. The 32-year-old Ridgway’s debut novel draws on that case for background to spin its own dark tale of murder and betrayal. He examines the tenuous bond between Grace, an English woman at midlife, and her gay son Martin, in whom she seeks refuge. Ridgway gives a glimpse of modern Dublin, a passionate city that has long intrigued readers with its themes of sin and salvation. Ridgway will read at 7 p.m. at Chapters, 1512 K St. NW. Free. (202) 347-5495. (GV)