Trespasses
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4.0 • 7 Ratings
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- £9.99
Publisher Description
Bloomsbury presents Trespasses by Louise Kennedy, read by Brid Brennan.
**SOON TO BE A MAJOR TV SERIES – COMING SOON TO CHANNEL 4**
THE NO. 1 BESTSELLER (The Times), SHORTLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2023
'Intense, unflinchingly honest, it broke my heart a million times' MARIAN KEYES
'A beautiful, devastating novel' NICK HORNBY
One by one, she undid each event, each decision, each choice.
If Davy had remembered to put on a coat.
If Seamie McGeown had not found himself alone on a dark street.
If Michael Agnew had not walked through the door of the pub on a quiet night in February in his white shirt.
There is nothing special about the day Cushla meets Michael, a married man from Belfast, in the pub owned by her family. But here, love is never far from violence, and this encounter will change both of their lives forever.
As people get up each morning and go to work, school, church or the pub, the daily news rolls in of another car bomb exploded, another man beaten, killed or left for dead. In the class Cushla teaches, the vocabulary of seven-year-old children now includes phrases like 'petrol bomb' and 'rubber bullets'. And as she is forced to tread lines she never thought she would cross, tensions in the town are escalating, threatening to destroy all she is working to hold together.
Tender and shocking, Trespasses is an unforgettable debut of people trying to live ordinary lives in extraordinary times.
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* WINNER OF THE BRITISH BOOK AWARDS BOOK OF THE YEAR: DEBUT FICTION *
* WINNER OF THE AN POST IRISH BOOK AWARDS NOVEL OF THE YEAR 2022 *
* WINNER OF THE MCKITTERICK PRIZE 2023 *
* SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES DEBUT FICTION PRIZE 2022 *
* AN OBSERVER BEST DEBUT NOVELIST OF 2022 *
* A BBC RADIO 4 BOOK AT BEDTIME *
* THE CRITICS' MOST-PICKED BOOK OF THE YEAR*
Customer Reviews
*Consequences*
This book is packed with drama and I highly recommend adding the audio narration. Brid Brennan’s portrayal of the male voices is particularly impressive.
Set in Northern Ireland, the story follows Cusla, a young schoolteacher juggling her job with helping out at her family’s pub. However, her older brother Eamonn takes on the lion share and their mother is alcoholism adds another layer to her life.
Cusla’s Catholic faith is tested when she intervenes to help a struggling family whose father is brutally attacked. Northern Ireland’s history of violence, particularly the Troubles between Catholics and Protestants, is evident throughout the narrative.
Cusla’s life takes a dramatic turn when Michael enters the pub. An instant attraction sparks a secret affair, occurring in fleeting moments. Over time, she uncovers a wealth of hidden truths about him.
As events unfold, a devastating murder occurs, plunging Cusla into to centre stage. Her involvement with Michael sets off a chain of events that leads to police questioning her and the revelations of her private makes her wonder what is sacred.