Jim Foley loves his parents, his brother, his sister, Dickens and God, although not necessarily in that order. Later, he loves Kate, enough to make her his wife; later still, he loves his children, Jack and Hannah.

This is Jim's story, from early days spent in County Clare to early adulthood in America, and back to Clare again. Tracing his journey from child, to husband to father, from happy-ever-after to death-do-us-part, from beginnings to endings - and from there to starting afresh once more - it tells of the people and places in Jim's life, his hopes, fears and fantasies, his ever-evolving relationships and the books that remain always constant. Deeply-felt, beautifully-told, and written in Niall William's lyrical, lilting prose, Only Say the Word offers both acceptance of the past and hope for the future.