Synopsis
Tomas, a frail, shy eight-year-old boy, has been living a solitary life in a drab
orphanage – sad, friendless, alone. Then all of a sudden a joyous burst of colour
comes into his world: Maire O’Donnell, whose smile and spirit light up the darkest
room – and Tomas’s heart. Before he knows it, Tomas is on a boat, sailing to
wind-swept Corrie Island off the coast of Ireland, where Maire takes him to live
with her and her taciturn husband, Alec.
Against a landscape of rainbows, mists and standing stones, Maire shares with
Tomas the folklore of the island and the secrets of the seals and shows him a
very special way to paint. She teaches him how to see the colour and magic
around him, and how to find it within and gives him the most precious of giftspermission
to simply be himself.
Tension builds however, as Alec, disappointed by her choice, is unable to accept
Tomas. He can’t see the spirit inside the boy that so closely resembles that of
Maire, and doesn’t understand her determination to share their lives with him.
Despite this tension, under Maire’s care, Tomas blossoms. He grows strong and
finds the courage to overcome his fears. He meets a pair of island children who
become his first real friends and rescues an orphan seal pup who joins him in his
journey of self-discovery. Even Alec begins to come around, as he too starts to
see in Tomas what Maire has seen all along.
But all of the gifts Maire has shared with Tomas may be lost when tragedy strikes
the O’Donnell family. With Alec unreachable, Tomas is faced with his greatest
challenge yet, and he’ll lose everything unless he can find – and share – the
magic that’s inside him.
A Shine of Rainbows is a story about the transformational power of love. It is
about finding acceptance and finding home and discovering the magic in nature
and the everyday world. And about realizing that rainbows are all around you –
and within you, too.