First published 1982
A nanny in Paris finds herself drawn into an affair with an antique dealer, while across Ireland, a hunger striker faces mounting pressure to abandon his fast. These characters inhabit O'Faolain's collection of nine interconnected tales, where passion takes many forms. A family struggles with an unwanted houseguest who refuses to leave. An elderly man's rage consumes him. A woman named Marga descends into madness. Each story captures people at moments when their carefully controlled lives crack open. The settings shift from Parisian apartments to Irish homes, but the emotional territory remains constant. O'Faolain examines how desire can seduce, embarrass, imprison, and liberate. Her characters face choices that reveal their deepest needs and fears. The collection moves between the intimate and the political, showing how personal longings intersect with larger forces. These are stories about what people want and what they're willing to sacrifice to get it.
Genres: fiction, romance, literary-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family
Setting: Ireland, Paris
Period: 20th-century
160 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books Ltd