#BookLaunch of #EmmetandMe by Sara Gethin with Mairéad Hearne | @SGethinWriter | @honno | @PalasPrint

EMMET AND ME

Palas Print and Honno Welsh Women’s Press present

Author Sara Gethin in conversation with Mairéad Hearne, of Swirl and Thread

I am so very excited to announce that on Thursday, June 10th, 7.30pm I will be chatting to the gorgeous Sara Gethin, about her new release Emmet and Me, which was just published May 20th with Honno Press. Honno Press is an independent co-operative press run by women and committed to bringing you the best in Welsh women’s writing. Sara Gethin has previously been shortlisted for the Not The Booker Prize with her novel Not Thomas, which was published in 2017, also with Honno Press.

I would like to thank Palas Print , our main host for the evening. An independent bookshop located within Caernarfon’s town walls, Palas Print sells English and Welsh language books from Wales and the World.

Emmet and Me is described as ‘a deeply affecting story of two young children in 1960s Connemara. It vividly evokes the harsh conditions in Ireland’s controversial industrial schools, as well as telling the story of a life-changing friendship’

With the gorgeous Connemara, Co. Galway as the backdrop, I was extremely excited to read this novel. If you are unaware of the wildness and beauty of this western coast of Ireland, you really need to check it out for yourself sometime. It is a landscape that captures and captivates and gets into your soul. Sara Gethin is no stranger to Ireland herself and her passion and knowledge shine through in her writing.

Emmet and Me is a novel that really impacted me when I first picked it up a few months back, as it is such a very emotive and affecting read.

Sara Gethin has written something very special, very powerful, capturing the innocence of a beautiful friendship. With characters that are wonderfully portrayed, it is very easy to imagine the joy, the pain, the sorrow and the pure heartache of the lives lived and lost. There is a strength in the simplicity of this story, leaving much to the imagination, which is a credit to the writing ability of Sara Gethin. Emmet and Me is a remarkable tale, a captivating novel that will leave its mark on every reader
(Read my full review HERE)

I was thrilled when asked for a front cover quote, which you can see below, but was beyond honoured when Sara Gethin asked if I would chair this very special event.

Among many topics, we hope to discuss the cruelty of life in Irish industrial schools, and their lasting legacy, and how Sara managed to turn that into a work of compelling fiction, as well as how she manages to so successfully evoke the world through a child’s eyes.

We would love to see lots of you there on the evening so do please continue reading for further information on Sara Gethin, Emmet and Me and, the all important information on how to register.

✨ YOU CAN REGISTER ✨
HERE

Running time: 60 minutes. A recording will be made available for a limited time afterwards.

This event will be hosted on a third-party live streaming platform Zoom, please refer to their privacy policy before purchasing a ticket to the event. After registering, you will be sent a confirmation email, then a further email on the day of the event that will give you access.

Books will be dispatched from 20 May 2021 onwards. However, please note that in the current circumstances, some books may be delayed. Postage will be applied at checkout.

[ About the Book ]

Summer 1966. Claire and her brothers are packed off to Granny Connemara when their mother runs away. Granny’s rural Irish cottage is very different to their Cardiff city home, the peaty air thick with unspoken secrets. With no sign of Uncle Jack picking them up at the end of the holidays, there is school to be survived.

Granny is formidable and the children unsettled by the conversations they’re excluded from. Will Mother ever return? Will they ever get home? Why does their father hate everything to do with Ireland?

The only light on Claire’s horizon is an out-of-bounds friendship… and it will change her life forever.

[ About Sara Gethin ]

Sara Gethin grew up in Llanelli. She has a degree in Religion and Ethics in Western Thought and worked as a primary school teacher in Carmarthenshire and Berkshire. Writing as Wendy White, she has had four children’s books published, and the first of these won the Tir nan-Og Award in 2014. Her debut novel, Not Thomas, was shortlisted for the Guardian’s Not the Booker prize and The Waverton Good Read Award. Her work has been shortlisted for the Colm Tóibín International Short Story Award and she is a member of Hay Festival’s Writers at Work. While west Wales is still home, Sara spends much of her time in Ireland. You can find Sara on twitter @SGethinWriter and via her website.