Out of Focus

By Muriel Bolger

Hachette Ireland

Muriel Bolger is an author that we always enjoy reading here in Irish Country Living due to her easy style of writing. She is a lady that can immediately draw you into a story and her latest novel, Out of Focus, is no different. The novel opens with a scene where the main character, Sandra, starts reminiscing about her daughter’s wedding day, as she looks at the beautiful bride three years to the day after she got married.

However, as she examines the photo frame, she finds an old image concealed behind it, a picture of two girls laughing, with their arms wrapped around each other. It is a glimpse of the life that Sandra used to lead, before her world turned upside down, before her teenage pregnancy.

As the daughter of two respectable country teachers, falling pregnant in the 1970s did not go down well and when her son is taken away from her, her world falls apart.

The main timeline of this novel though is set in the present day, nearly 40 years later. Sandra has rebuilt her life in Dublin with a loving husband and two adult children. When her firstborn contacts her, however, it is not for the connection she hoped for. He has his own reasons for seeking her out and now Sandra has some tough decisions to make.

A poignant story and a challenging subject matter, but Muriel tackles it delicately and shows how even years later there is still a possibility of finding some peace within.

Are You Watching Me?

By Sinéad Crowley

Quercus

When Sinéad Crowley launched her debut novel Can Anybody Help Me last year, we were hooked. It was a really dark thriller that focused on the murder of women who were all connected through an online parenting forum. Given the unbelievable twist at the end, we were excited to find that already Sinéad has her second book on the shelves, Are You Watching Me?. With a similar cover, it was clear we had another exciting read in our hands.

It tells the story of Liz Cafferky, a woman who has risen from a dark past through the help of the owner of a drop-in charity centre. Now the face of that charity, she gets caught up in a media frenzy, becoming the darling of the Dublin media despite the fact that she isn’t mad about the limelight.

Fan mail starts pouring in, but she receives a letter that is not very complimentary. Then when a client for the centre is brutally murdered, it is followed up by an even more sinister, frightening note.Running from her own ghost, Liz is too scared to go to the police. This is where we meet Sergeant Claire Boyle again (from Sinéad’s first novel). She may not have much leads to go on, but given the crime she solved previously, a solution could be found. Prepare for another shocker of a twist that will keep you flicking through the pages.

A Love Like This

By Maria Duffy

Hachette

Looking for a nice love story to take on holidays? An easy read that you can flick through on a warm sunny day? Then A Love Like This by Maria Duffy is an essential addition to your travel bag.

William and Donna are born on the same day, in the same Dublin maternity hospital. William is from an affluent family with parents that seem to be more concerned with working, socialising and keeping up appearances.

His mother, Vivienne Cooper-Smith, is quite unhappy to find herself in a public ward (despite her heafty health insurance coverage), next to Catherine O’Neill, a young mother from the wrong side of town whose partner is in prison.

As soon as both babies leave the hospital, their lives go in two separate directions. That is until years later when tragedy strikes and their paths cross.

Both set off travelling trying to leave the past behind them and 10,000 miles from home they finally meet. Things don’t work out the way you would think, but when they become separated again they can’t stop thinking about each other.

It’s a cute story with some memorable characters and an ending that will make you smile, all the essential elements of a good summer read.

The Outcast

By Sadie Jones

Vintage

Here in Irish Country Living, we love reviewing Irish novels and supporting Irish writers, but we also like to broaden our boundaries and in Sadie Jones’ novel, The Outcast, we travel to Sussex.

It’s 1957 and 19-year-old Lewis has just been released from jail. He has one destination on his mind, the village where he grew up, despite the fact that it holds so many bad memories.

A decade earlier, a tragedy tore the family apart and it is clear it is the reason that led to his very troubled teenage years, that inevitably led to his stint in jail.

Now though, he is hoping to move forward, to leave some of that past behind him and the only person who seems to understand him is local girl Kit Carmichael.

Unfortunately, she is the daughter of a bullying businessman that really has no time for Lewis. Are the words star-crossed lovers coming into your mind right now?

Through the pain and isolation of their shared childhoods comes love and loyalty – and soon they realise that to forge their own futures, they must first confront the darkest secrets of their past.