An intimate, clear-eyed novel of love and betrayal.
In 1980s Dublin, nineteen-year-old Anna falls obsessively for an older, worldly man, a love that leads to marriage and a shattering betrayal. Over the years, as her life shifts and deepens, Anna begins to claim herself and the life she truly wants.
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An intimate, clear-eyed novel of love and betrayal.
In 1980s Dublin, nineteen-year-old Anna falls obsessively for an older, worldly man, a love that leads to marriage and a shattering betrayal. Over the years, as her life shifts and deepens, Anna begins to claim herself and the life she truly wants.
- Book Synopsis
-
My name is Anna, and for some time now, I have been trying to account for certain events in my life - my adult life, that is - which, from this vantage point of forty-five years, I often find baffling . . .
In 1985 Dublin, nineteen-year-old Anna Hughes is in thrall to Peter Gallagher, an older, worldly man. Anna is new to the city, introverted and naïve, and Peter's experience, wide circle of friends and thirst for adventure captivate her.
Her obsessive longing for him leads to marriage and, eventually, a crushing betrayal.
As Anna's life becomes less predictable, she uncovers deeper layers of herself. Her journey gives an intimate portrait of a woman embracing herself as she is, and claiming the life she yearns for.
Ideal for readers who…
- love intimate, character-driven literary fiction about desire, power, and the choices we later try to explain
- enjoy Dublin-set stories that capture a specific time and mood, with emotional realism at the core
- are drawn to coming-of-age narratives that extend into adulthood and reckon with betrayal and reinvention
- want a psychologically sharp portrait of obsession, marriage, and self-discovery
- like reflective first-person storytelling with a sense of hindsight and hard-won clarity
- About The Author
- Mary Costello lives in Galway. Her short story collection, The China Factory (2012), was nominated for the Guardian First Book Award and shortlisted for an Irish Book Award. Her first novel, Academy Street (2014), won the Irish Novel of the Year Award at the Irish Book Awards and was named overall Irish Book of the Year. It was serialised on BBC Radio 4's Book at Bedtime and was shortlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award, the Costa First Novel Prize, the EU Prize for Literature and the Prix Littéraire des Ambassadeurs de la Francophonie en Irlande, and has been translated into several languages. The River Capture is her second novel.
- Product Details
-
- ISBN
- 9781837263110
- Format
- Paperback
- Publisher
- Canongate, (12 March 2026)
- Number of Pages
- 224
- Weight
- 234 grams
- Language
- English
- Dimensions
- 214 x 135 x 17 mm
- Categories: