Love and Lies in Ireland
As the year hurtles to a close, I find myself in the same delightful predicament as always: too many incredible books to review and not enough weeks left to do them justice. It’s a bittersweet chaos, really—a mad dash to reflect on all the stories that have shaped the past year before turning the page on a new one.
For the next few weeks, I’ll be diving into some mini-reviews, a quickfire celebration of the books that have stood out to me. There’s something thrilling about revisiting so many great reads all at once—it reminds me how lucky I am to have spent the year immersed in such rich and varied worlds. Truly, is there anything better than being surrounded by stories? And I know that some of you appreciate a good quickfire list!
But for now, this week we take a look at Trespasses by Louise Kennedy. This book came on my radar because it was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, and I have been going back and adding some of the backlist to my TBR. This did not disappoint! If you are a fan of Irish literature, this is the book for you.
Set against the backdrop of 1970s Northern Ireland during the Troubles, the story follows Cushla Lavery, a young Catholic schoolteacher, who also works part-time at her family’s pub. She leads this real duality of a life: by day, she’s teaching children in a classroom marred by religious tensions, and by night, she’s pulling pints for customers who embody those divisions. Then there’s Michael, an older Protestant barrister who sweeps Cushla into a torrid affair that is both tender and reckless—a collision of love and politics that feels as inevitable as it is destructive.
Kennedy’s writing is beautiful. Every line pulses with raw humanity. Her dialogue is sharp and true, but it’s her ability to craft atmosphere that truly shines. You can almost smell the damp, smoky pub; feel the weight of political slogans scrawled across walls; hear the tension in whispered conversations. It’s immersive, but never heavy-handed—Kennedy trusts her readers to pick up the nuances without overselling them, and we all know that I love nuance!
What struck me most about Trespasses is its deep sense of place and its characters’ sense of entrapment. Cushla’s world is hemmed in by geography, religion, and societal expectations. Her affair with Michael isn’t just a love story; it’s an act of defiance, a grasp at freedom in a world where choices are dictated by fear and loyalty.
Kennedy also doesn’t shy away from the grit. Violence looms large—both the overt kind that makes headlines and the quieter, insidious violence of prejudice and gossip. Yet amidst this, there’s a thread of resilience, a stubborn insistence on connection and kindness. Cushla’s care for one of her students, a boy whose family is targeted for being Catholic, is heart-wrenching and deeply moving. It’s these moments of humanity that balance the book’s darker undertones.
Some might argue the romance feels like a cliché—young, naive woman falls for worldly, older man—but Kennedy avoids sentimentality. Instead, she uses their relationship as a lens to explore power dynamics, agency, and vulnerability. Michael is not some knight in shining armour; he’s as flawed and trapped as Cushla, and their affair feels as much about escape as it does about love.
This book is intimate, tense, and unflinching. If you’re looking for a novel that’ll break your heart and piece it back together, while making you think deeply about the intersection of the personal and the political, Trespasses is it. Louise Kennedy has crafted something truly special here, add this one to your TBR because life is too short to read bad books.