‘A girl is a burden. A girl is a curse.’– The Daughters Of Madurai [ About The Daughters of Madurai ] Madurai, 1992. A young mother in a poor family, Janani is told she is useless if she can’t produce a son – or worse, bears daughters they can’t afford. They let her keep her first…
‘A strikingly-original coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of 1980s Michigan.‘– The Polite Act of Drowning [ About The Polite Act of Drowning ] Michigan, 1985. The drowning of a teenage girl causes ripples in the small town of Kettle Lake, though for most the waters settle quickly. For sixteen-year-old Joanne Kennedy, however, the tragedy…
Spurned by a KingRaised by BearsBlessed by a GoddessAtalanta [ About Atalanta ] When a daughter is born to the King of Arcadia, she brings only disappointment. Left exposed on a mountainside, the defenceless infant Atalanta is left to the mercy of a passing mother bear and raised alongside the cubs under the protective eye…
I woke up this morning with a awful aching headI woke up this morning with a awful aching headMy new man had left me, just a room and a empty bedEmpty Bed Blues by Bessie Smith (From the book – it inspired the title) [ About Empty Bed Blues ] When Kate Holohan’s husband dies…
‘ ‘Before He Kills Again is partly set in Cork city, exploring themes like sexual and gender-based violence and how misogyny can be spread through social media. It’s also partly set in West Cork. This is mainly because Collins is from there and I wanted to explore the themes of home and love in the…
‘On Glenbeg Farm, it was a sunny morning like any other.Only the distressed bark of beloved collie Samson hinted that all was not well’– There’s Something I have to Tell You [ About There’s Something I Have To Tell You ] When the bodies of wealthy matriarch Ursula Kennedy and her farmer husband Jimmy are…
Love, lies and taboo liaisons, a coming-of-age story. Set against the backdrop of a country at war.– American Bombshell [ About American Bombshell ] Incarcerated in an abusive orphanage by an unstable and vengeful mother, seventeen-year-old Rosie Haskell is released in February 1944 to survive in an adult world. She finds a job at a wartime…
‘Twisted family ties and intricate revenge’– The Exes [ About The Exes ] When Holly is bequeathed a large but derelict house, she wants to share her good fortune. So she gets in touch with former boyfriend Ray, a builder who can project-manage the renovation in exchange for the basement flat. The spacious middle floor…
[ About The Girl with Special Knees ] A child who doesn’t want to live.A mother in distress.A beautiful sister who feels invisible.A father who needs to keep on keeping on and avoid the fragrant Shirley Lovett at all costs.The Redmond family is in trouble.One day, a mysterious African doll arrives in the post, and…
‘EVERY FAMILY HAS SECRETS. SOME ARE JUST BETTER AT HIDING THEIRS…‘– The Last Days Of Joy [ About The Last Days of Joy ] MEET THE TOBIN FAMILY …Joy, the complicated, troubled motherShe’s spent her life running from her past while trying to raise her children as best she can. Conor, the high-achieving eldest childA…