New Irish Fiction

I forgot to wear green today, and I'm half Irish, so in penance I am posting about some recent fiction BHPL has by authors from Ireland and Northern Ireland. (The descriptions were taken from the books' own cover blurbs or the BHPL catalog's annotations).

The Secret Scriptures by Sebastian Barry
A literary novel that alternates between a 100-year-old mental patient writing about the tragedies of her early life, and the observation journal of her psychiatrist.

The Journey Home by Dermot Bolger
Set in the suburbs of Dublin in the early '80s, The Journey Home portrays a bleak Ireland that offers its youth few options.

The Pig Did It by Joseph Caldwell
A humorous novel about an Irishman returned home from New York after several failed love affairs, whose self-pitying must take a back seat to the pig who begins to follow him around.

Shannon by Frank Delaney
The saga of a young American priest sent to Ireland to recover from injuries received in World War I, and his search for his family's Irish roots.

The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle
Almost all of the funny and poignant tales of Roddy Doyle's first-ever collection of stories have one thing in common: someone born in Ireland meets someone who has come to live there.

Yesterday's Weather by Anne Enright. A collection of stories about people struggling to find contentment with one another, and with themselves, in a rapidly changing Ireland.

The Likeness by Tana French
Transferred out of Dublin's Murder Squad at her own request, Cassie vows never to return. That is, until her boyfriend, Detective Sam O'Neill, calls her one beautiful spring morning, urgently asking her to come to a murder scene in the small town of Glenskehy. The dead girl is Cassie's double, and she carries ID identifying her as Alexandra Madison, an alias Cassie herself used years ago when she worked undercover.

Lessons in Heartbreak by Cathy Kelly
Izzie Silver, a warmhearted Irishwoman with a mane of chestnut hair and a zest of life, is a New York success story, a highly successful booking agent at a top-notch modeling agency. But while she dreams of starting an agency for plus-size models, at heart she's still the convent schoolgirl from the exquisite Irish coastal town of Tamarin.

This Charming Man by Marian Keyes
The story of four very different women, one charming man (a rising political star who has dumped them all), and the dark secret that binds them all.

Borderlands by Brian McGilloway
A highly lyrical crime novel that is the first of a new series featuring Inspector Benedict Devlin. When the body of a teenaged girl is found in the borderlands between Ireland and Northern Ireland, two police forces must collaborate.

The Misremembered Man by Christina McKenna
This beautifully rendered portrait of life in rural Ireland charms and delights with its authentic characters and gentle humor. This vivid portrayal of the universal search for love brings with it a darker tale, one that is heartbreaking in its poignancy.

Civil & Strange by Cláir Ní Aonghusa
The story of three residents of Ballindoon, a small Sligo parish: a divorcee, her uncle, and a widow.

An Irish Country Village by Peter Taylor
The sequel to an Irish Country Doctor, which is about a recent medical school graduate who arrives in a rural Irish village to assist an older physician.