First published 2010
A playwright sits alone in celebrated actor Molly Fox's Dublin house on a blazing summer day. Molly has lent her the space while performing in New York, and the playwright struggles to complete her latest work surrounded by her friend's belongings. The solitude triggers memories of their college years together with Andrew, their mutual friend. She recalls their intense early bond, the changes each made pursuing careers and stability, and the unspoken betrayals that accumulated over time. As the midsummer day unfolds, she examines whether any of them truly understood each other beneath their surface connections. The lies they told and the truths they avoided come into sharp focus. What seemed like deep friendship now appears more complex and fragile. This single day of reflection forces her to confront how success and time transformed their relationship and whether genuine intimacy ever existed between them.
Genres: drama, literary-fiction, friendship, contemporary
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Dublin, New York
Period: Midsummer
221 pages · Paperback · Picador