2013 Shortlist: The Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year
Ghost Moth Michele Forbes
Ghost Moth is the story of Katherine Bedford, a woman torn between passion and duty, between tending to her family and following her dreams. Set against rising tensions in Northern Ireland, over two hot summers in 1949 and 1969, it is a masterful portrait of a marriage and a country on the brink of collapse…
Going Back Rachael English
How do you know where you belong? With opportunities in Ireland scarce once again, a new generation looks to America, awakening memories of a golden summer for their parents. Elizabeth returns to Boston, but will she be able to reconcile the dreams of her twenty-year-old self with the woman she has become?
The Gamal Ciaran Collins
Meet Charlie. People think he’s crazy. But he’s not. People think he’s stupid. But he’s not. People think he’s innocent… He’s the Gamal. This is the story of the dark heart of an Irish village, of how daring to be different can be dangerous and how there is nothing a person will not do for love.
The Herbalist Niamh Boyce
Out of nowhere the herbalist appears and sets out his stall in the market square. In this dull midlands town the exotic stranger brings glamour and excitement. Teenager Emily is enchanted, until she discovers his dark side. This electrifying first novel is a devastating and emotional story of yearning and obsession in 1930s rural Ireland.
Young Skins Colin Barrett
Set for the most part in the fictional County Mayo town of Glanbeigh, Colin Barrett’s stories deftly explore the wayward lives and loves of young men and women in contemporary post-boom Ireland. Young Skins offers an utterly unique reading experience and marks the appearance of an arresting and innovative new voice in Irish writing.
Red Sky in the Morning Paul Lynch
Spring 1832: Donegal. Coll Coyle stands to lose everything on account of the cruel intentions of his landowner’s heedless son. Although reluctant, Coll sets out to confront his trouble. And so begins his fall from the rain-soaked, cloud-swirling Eden, and a pursuit across the wild bog lands of Donegal.
