The contemporary moral dilemma posed in the story is bound to make for a fiery debate at your next meet up
Irish journalist and broadcaster, Edel Coffey, made a serious impression on Ireland’s writing landscape with her best-selling debut novel Breaking Point.
And now she is following it up with In Her Place – a gripping look at grief, love, betrayal, guilt and despair that gets right to the heart of human relationships and will keep you guessing until the final page.
The book tells the story Ann, a woman who has spent years of her life devoted to her mother’s care. In a bid to escape the grief and the emptiness of her old flat, she finds happiness in a chance meeting with Justin. He is also grieving, but there’s a difference – his wife is very much still alive. However, she is dying and he has been told she doesn’t have much time left.
Before long, it looks like Justin and Ann may have found the love they’ve been searching for until an unexpected drug trial changes everything. Now with his wife coming home, who exactly is the other woman?
Other new Irish books coming out this month include:
Reality Check by Vicki Notaro, 11 April
When her boyfriend drops a bombshell, Portia Daniels flees to the bosom of her family – but there’s even more drama waiting there. From the bright lights of LA to the rugged charm of west Kerry, Reality Check is a delicious look behind the scenes of what really goes down in Tinseltown.
My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes, 11 April
Turning a minor mid-life crisis into a major life event, Anna Walsh bins her fabulous New York lifestyle, heads back to Ireland, and gets a PR job for a super-high-end coastal retreat. Naturally, it’s not long before her past catches up with her and she’s forced to face the problems, and people, she’s been running from.
The Alternatives by Caoilinn Hughes, 16 April
Together for the first time in years, three siblings descend on the Irish countryside in search of a sister who doesn’t actually want to be found. In an isolated rural bungalow they reach into their uncommon past, confronting both old wounds and a desperately uncertain future.
Old Romantics by Maggie Armstrong, 18 April
Old Romantics is a beautifully observed and wildly entertaining collection of linked short stories from an exciting new talent. Slippery, flawed and acute, Maggie Armstrong’s narrator navigates a world of awkward expectation and latent hostility.
The Honeymoon Affair by Sheila O’Flanagan, 25 April
Sheila O’Flanagan’s new novel tells a compelling and thought-provoking story about two strong women, one complicated man, and the secrets and dreams that draw them together – with explosive consequences.
