Caoilinn Hughes & Claire Kilroy

In her latest novel The Alternatives, Caoilinn Hughes introduces us to the Flattery sisters… Olwen, Nell, Maeve and Rhona were plunged prematurely into adulthood when their parents died in a tragic turn of events. Now in their thirties, their daughters are leading disparate, busy lives, carving out impressive careers. But when the eldest, Olwen – reluctant matriarch, lodestar and, of late, zealous consumer of gin – abruptly disappears – the sisters descend on the Irish countryside to find her, whether she likes it or not. They eventually track Olwen down, holed up in a derelict bungalow, with little electricity and a patchy connection to the outside world. Together for the first time in years, the sisters vie to confront old wounds and a desperately uncertain future. Fiercely witty, original and profound, this is an unforgettable portrait of a family perched on our collective precipice, told by one of Ireland’s most gifted storytellers.

Well, Sailor. Here we are once more, you and me in one another’s arms. The Earth rotates beneath us and all is well, for now… In Soldier Sailor, her first novel for over a decade, Claire Kilroy takes us deep into the early days of motherhood. Exploring the clash of fierce love for a new life with a seismic change in identity, she vividly realises the raw, tumultuous emotions of a new mother, as her marriage strains and she struggles with questions of love, autonomy and creativity. As she smiles at her baby, Sailor, while mentally composing her own suicide note, an old friend makes a welcome return, but can he really offer a lifeline to the woman she used to be?