When it comes to deciding what to read from Irish authors this year, we are choosing from an embarrassment of riches
Available to read now:
Prophet Song by Paul Lynch – winner of the Booker Prize 2023
There was great rejoicing when Paul Lynch was announced as the Booker Prize winner last year for Prophet Song – a searing tale of a woman facing a terrible choice and a society on the brink of collapse. With critics unable to find enough superlatives to describe it, this is a work of true originality, offering a heart-wrenching vision of a country at war and a deeply moving portrayal of a mother’s fight to hold her family together.
Snowflake by Louise Nealon – One Dublin, One Book choice for 2024
One Dublin One Book is a Dublin City Council initiative which encourages everyone to read a book connected with the capital city during the month of April every year. For 2024, they have chosen Snowflake by Louise Nealon. It tells the story of eighteen-year-old Debbie White who lives on a dairy farm with her mother, Maeve, and her uncle, Billy. As she steps into life as a student at Trinity College Dublin, she struggles to cope but learns that even in the oddest of families, you can find safety.
The Grass Ceiling: On Being A Woman in Sport by Eimear Ryan
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to be a girl, or a woman, in a male-dominated sporting world, this book will help you find the answer. In The Grass Ceiling, acclaimed novelist Eimear Ryan delves into the confluence between gender and sport, and what it means in terms of identity, competition and self-expression.
Dear Gay: Letters to the Gay Byrne Show by Suzy Byrne
For 25 years, Gay Byrne received thousands of letters from listeners all over Ireland. Some of these letters were light-hearted but others were more serious, dealing with issues that people felt uncomfortable sharing with their family or even close friends. In this book, a collection of those letters has been carefully compiled by Gay’s daughter, Suzy, who provides commentary about the times in which they were written and the impact they made, on a personal and national level, once they were read on air.
The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright
Anne Enright is a Booker Prize-winning author and in her latest novel, she examines the themes of generational trauma, parental love, betrayal, and hope. Above all, the story is a deep dive into the enduring power of family relationships and the love that is “more than a strand of DNA, but a rope thrown from the past, a fat twisted rope, full of blood.”
New releases:
Breakthrough by Mark Fennell – 8 Feb 2024
Life coach Mark Fennell has garnered over two hundred thousand followers on social media thanks to his relatable and easy-to-understand videos on managing daily stresses, living with anxiety and avoiding toxic people. His book Breakthrough is based on real life experiences of clients he has worked with over the last twenty years and promises to equip you with the tools and strategies that will help change your life for the better.
Hagstone by Sinead Gleeson – Spring 2024
In her first work of fiction, author Sinéad Gleeson examines the darker side of human nature and the mysteries of faith and the natural world. Perfect for fans of Margaret Atwood and Sarah Moss, it tells the haunting story of island-dweller Nell, who has been invited by the reclusive commune of women known as the Inions to produce a magnificent art piece to celebrate their long history.
My Favourite Mistake by Marian Keyes – April 2024
A new Marian Keyes novel is always something to celebrate and this time, it focuses on the character of Anna Walsh. Turning a minor mid-life crisis into a major life event, she 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.
SEABORNE by Nuala O’Connor – April 2024
In SEABORNE, we follow the remarkable journey of Anne Bonny, the 18th-century, Irish-born pirate of lore. In the hands of one of Ireland’s most brilliant fiction writers, Bonny is a young woman of privilege, hell-bent on a voyage of self-realisation with or without the consent of those around her. This is the thrilling and sensuous imagining of the loss, frustration and desires that steer this lonely daughter of a plantation owner towards elopement, two marriages, two pregnancies, violence, trial for piracy and legendary status.
Long Island by Colm Toibín – May 2024
The highly-anticipated sequel to the prize-winning, bestselling novel Brooklyn will finally be available to read later this year. When a stranger arrives on Eilis Fiorello’s door with a shocking revelation, it leaves her questioning the biggest decision she ever made. Long Island is being described as Colm Tóibín’s ‘masterpiece’: an exquisite, exhilarating novel that asks whether it is possible to truly return to the past and renew the great love that seemed gone forever.
