Frances Macken You Have to Make Your Own Fun Around Here: Winner of the Beryl

This atmospheric debut looks like a rural Irish comingofage novel, but its cleverer, darker, more unreliable. Daily Mail AN IRISH INDEPENDENT BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR AN IRISH INDEPENDENT CRITICS CHOICE FOR CHRISTMAS WINNER OF THE BERYL BAINBRIDGE BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD, 2020/2021 AN IRISH TIMES, IRISH INDEPENDENT and SUNDAY INDEPENDENT TITLE TO LOOK OUT FOR IN 2020 Katie, Maeve and Evelyn have been friends forever. Outspoken, unpredictable and intoxicating, Evelyn is the undisputed leader of the trio. But Katies dream of escaping their tiny rural town for a new life in Dublin confronts her with a choice to hold onto a friendship that has made her who she is, or risk leaving her best friend behind. Told from Katies witty, quirky perspective and filled with unforgettable characters, this moving, immersive and very funny study of sisterhood takes a keeneyed look at the delights and complexities of female friendship, the corrosive power of jealousy and guilt, and the people and places that shape us. Compellingly readable and effortlessly sharp, fizzing with the voices of rural Ireland, this is an unmissable novel from a dazzling new talent. | Frances Macken You Have to Make Your Own Fun Around Here: Winner of the Beryl