Five new books by Irish authors to put on your reading list

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Five New Books By Irish Authors To Put On Your Reading List
Megan Nolan (L) and her book, Ordinary Human Failings
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By Prudence Wade, PA

It’s been a blockbuster summer for new books.

From thrillers to literary fiction, new releases span all genres – and Irish writers are leading the pack.

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And with the days slowing getting shorter, now is the perfect time to get stuck into a captivating new book.

Here are five of the best books by Irish authors that have come out this summer – and what we thought of them…

1. The Wren, The Wren by Anne Enright (Jonathan Cape, €22.99)

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Booker-prize-winning author Anne Enright’s latest tome is a rich, lyrical analysis of mother-daughter relationships. The Dublin-born writer is at her best when picking apart those familial connections that bind – and often separate us – and The Wren, The Wren builds on that tradition. Following Nell, a recent university graduate trying to find her place in the world while her independence pulls at mother Carmel’s heart. Both women grapple with the shadow cast over them by the memory of Carmel’s father, a famed Irish poet whose words pepper the novel. Captivating and thought-provoking, The Wren, The Wren is a slow-burning commentary on ancestry, love and longing, which leaves enough unsaid to truly captivate its reader.
9/10
(Review by Holly Cowell)

2. The Land Of Lost Things by John Connolly (Hodder & Stoughton, €14.99)

Nearly two decades after enchanting a generation of readers with The Book Of Lost Things, Dublin-born writer John Connolly is revisiting his richly dark fairyland. In this update for 2023, a mother is sucked into a terrifying world as her comatose young daughter’s life hangs in the balance. Time here is twistier than the gnarly old trees and roots in the forests of our nightmares. Connolly manages to give a subtle nod to the post-pandemic era while reaching out and embracing modern readers from beyond the page. If fairy stories help people confront and come to terms with universal themes of love, loss, grief and fear, then this is a timely and comforting sequel. But as all lifelong travellers will know, returning to a beloved place in time and space after many years away can be a subjective experience. Book lovers and fans of John Connolly will not be disappointed by this remarkable standalone novel.
9/10
(Review by Emily Pennink)

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3. The Rachel Incident by Caroline O’Donoghue (Virago, €14.99)

Cork-born novelist, podcaster and screenwriter Caroline O’Donoghue returns with her latest novel, The Rachel Incident – a witty, heartbreaking friendship love story based in Ireland in the mid-Noughties. When Rachel sets her heart on seducing her married professor, she enlists the help of her best friend and housemate James to ensnare her pray. But when their mission finds them on an entirely different path, Rachel and James discover they are stuck in a web of deceit they couldn’t unravel if they wanted to. Hilarious, messy, and all the things being young and infatuated can often be, The Rachel Incident creates a world so vivid you feel it wrap around you. Much as O’Donoghue’s masterpiece Promising Young Women did, this book won’t leave you willingly… nor will you want it to.
9/10
(Review by Holly Cowell)

4. Kala by Colin Walsh (Atlantic Books, €20.99)

Winner of the 2019 Hennessy new Irish writer of the year, Colin Walsh is known for his short stories, and Kala is his captivating first novel. Growing up with a group of friends in a small seaside town on the west coast of Ireland sounds idyllic. But Kinlough holds dark memories for six teenagers after one of them – Kala – disappeared without trace. Years later, the friends are reunited – just as human remains are found in some woods, and two more girls go missing. There are good people and evil people in the story that follows the hunt for a killer – and a truly stunning twist in the tail, which will keep you reading the book until the early hours to discover what happened. The story is mainly told through separate chapters by three of the friends – Joe, Kala’s former boyfriend who is now a famous musician; Helen, who works as a freelance journalist in Canada; and Mush, who has stayed in Kinlough to work at his mother’s cafe – giving the story welcome variety and changes of perspective.
8/10
(Review by Alan Jones)

5. Ordinary Human Failings by Megan Nolan (Jonathan Cape, €15.99)

Megan Nolan’s sophomore novel is set in a London council estate and mainly follows the story of the Green family, who turned up mysteriously a decade ago. After the body of a young child is discovered, the court of public opinion has ruled the family is guilty of all charges. The reality is unveiled by ambitious and hungry young journalist Tom Hargreaves, who attempts to convince the family to tell their story. It’s an ambitious novel, and the story is told beautifully. It could easily be a little longer, as some elements feel a little rushed, however, and those expecting a murder mystery will be disappointed. Instead, this novel takes a magnifying glass to the media’s response to tragic incidents, especially where ‘troubled’ families are involved.
8/10
(Review by Lauren Gilmour)

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