Pray for the Wanderer, usually regarded by critics as Kate O'Brien's response to the banning of Mary Lavelle in Ireland, is much more than a discourse on culture and censorship. It explores the emotional pain of an Irish writer genuinely torn between the artistic freedom of abroad and the beguiling beauty and security of home.
The hatreds and loves hidden in ordinary lives, carved from the backgrounds of urban and rural mindscapes. They contain the life spirits and losses of people as changes arrive oddly. Nothing is simple. Life as we wish it to be might not be so.
Set in the village where Billy O'Callaghan's family has lived for generations, this novel is partly based on stories told by his parents and grandparents. His writing is imbued with truth and lived experience - creating a novel so rich in life and empathy it is impossible to let go of his characters.
The breathtaking short story collection from the Costa-shortlisted Irish writer Three gunshots on the Irish border define the course of a young man's life;