Less new fiction than I’d hoped to look out for in April but still enough to fill a two-part preview kicking off with one for which I was champing at the bit once I 
saw it all over Twitter.
Set in early ‘90s Glasgow, Booker Prize-winning Douglas Stuart’s Young Mungo is about the youngest son of the Hamilton family, brought up largely by his sister while his brother is out strutting the streets and his mother chases after the next man who promises her a future until she succumbs to the booze again. Then Mungo meets James who is the opposite side of the divide in this deeply sectarian city. An immersive, thoroughly absorbing novel, very dark at times, written with the same wit, compassion and tenderness that made Shuggie Bain so affecting. Best have the tissues handy; I chose to interpret the ending as hopeful perhaps because it was too heart-wrenching to do otherwise. Review soon…
On a similar theme, Louise Kennedy’s Trespasses is set in early ‘70s County Down against the backdrop of the Troubles, meshing the political with the personal through the story of a young Catholic teacher who becomes involved with a Protestant barrister. Kennedy explores sectarianism through a tender love story which echoes the divisions running through Northern Irish society. Her short story collection, The End of the World is a Cul de Sac defeated my usual strategy of picking favourites, all of them were so good, and Trespasses more than lives up to that. Review shortly…
Much praised by Naoise Dolan of Exciting Times fame, Catherine Prasifka’s None of This is Serious sees Sophie coming to the end of her time as a student in Dublin. While her friends seem to have everything sorted, Sophie feels unsure of her future, not least with Finn with whom she’s in love. After a disastrous party, Sophie finds herself in limbo, obsessively scrolling social media. ‘None of This Is Serious is about the uncertainty and absurdity of being alive today. It’s about balancing the real world with the online, and the vulnerabilities in yourself, your relationships, your body. At its heart, this is a novel about the friendships strong enough to withstand anything’ says the blurb which sounds promising although a bit similar to several other novels I’ve read in the past few years.
Truth be told, I was a bit disappointed by Sara Baume’s A Line Made by Walking, probably because I loved Spill Simmer Falter Wither so much. Her new one, Seven Steeples, sees a young couple freshly in love, moving away from the city to live in isolation in the shadow of a mountain. ‘Taking place in a remote house in the south-west of Ireland, this rich and vivid novel spans seven years and speaks to the times we live in, asking how we may withdraw, how better to live in the natural world, and how the choices made or avoided lead us home’ say the publishers, whetting my appetite nicely,
Olivia Fitzsimmons’ The Quiet Whispers Never Stop spans two generations in the Malin family. In 1982, Nuala is unhappy in her marriage but kept in place by her children when she meets a 17-year-old boy who offers a brief escape. Twelve years later, her daughter is also planning an escape putting Northern Ireland and its troubles behind her, drawn into a relationship with an older man. It was Jan Carson who tipped me the wink about this one on Twitter when I reviewed her novel, The Raptures.
That’s it for the first part of April’s new fiction which has a distinctly Celtic bent. A click on a title will take you to a more detailed synopsis for any that take your fancy. Part two soon…
Susan this really is a powerful selection of books. All look/sound great
I think you’re right – fewer but stronger titles this month. Lots to take our minds of things a bit.
I’ve not had great success with Sara Baume’s work, but I am tempted by the setup of this new one.
Absolutely loved Spill… for its use of language, hence my slight disappointment in A Line Made for Walking, I think.
Lots of Irish fiction on here! I’m really looking forward to hearing what you think of Trespasses and I’m personally looking forward to The Quiet Whispers.
It’s great isn’t it. Trespasses more than lived up to my very high hopes. Do you have a copy of The Quiet Whiskers?
I have copies of both and hoping to get to them before the month is out!
I’ll keep an eye out for your reviews.
Ooh lots that tempts me here, I’m looking forward to Seven Steeples being a big fan of Sara Baume’s work ever since reading her delightful nonfiction title Handiwork. I’ve also got Trespasses to read and her short stories do sound equally enticing!
Pleased to hear that, Claire. Seven Steeples sounds very promising, doesn’t it? Both Trespasses and the short story collection are excellent. Louise Kennedy is such a good writer
The Quiet Whispers Never Stop sounds very good too, it’s certainly the month to add to the TBR for Celtic novels!
Absolutely!
These all sound very tempting. I’m hoping to get to Shuggie Bain in the next few weeks so I’ll look forward to your review of Young Mungo. I think I’m going to really enjoy Stuart’s writing.
It took me ages to get around to Shuggie as I was expecting it to be unremittingly grim but Stuart is such a warm, witty writer he draws his readers in. I hope you love it as much as I did.
I WANT THEM ALL! I already have None of This is Serious, but wasn’t aware Baume had another out. I loved Shuggie, so Young Mungo is a must-read, and Trespasses looks excellent as well.
Job done, then! No second novel syndrome worries with Young Mungo and Trespasses is brilliant.
Seven Steeples looks and sounds wonderful thank you for the prompt!
You’re welcome! There’s something about that cover that makes me hopeful.
Young Mungo sounds excellent, but I still haven’t read Shuggie Bain which is on my tbr. Looking forward to both. I have meant to explore more Sara Baume since reading Spill Simmer Falter Wither.
Always a worry with second novels by writers of brilliant debuts but Young Mungo was even better than Shuggie Bain, I think.
Young Mungo sounds interesting (I’ve yet to read Snuggie Bain). Trespass also has some appeal.
Both highly recommended, Karen
I’ve just seen the Louise Kennedy and the Olivia Fitzsimons in Cathy’s post on new Irish fiction in 2022, and both novels sound very good indeed. Looking forward to hearing more about those two in due course…
Cathy has another tempting post full of forthcoming Irish fiction today.
Sara Baume really intrigues me and, even though she hasn’t always connected with her writing, Rebecca has mentioned her as someone I’d probably enjoying exploring too. April looks to be a good month in general here though!
I loved Baume’s lyrical language in Spill Simmer Falter Wither. She’s certainly worth investigating. More anticipatory reading joy to come on Monday.