First published 2012
In these interconnected stories, ordinary people discover that their carefully constructed lives can shift in an instant. A woman in contemporary Dublin confronts uncomfortable truths about her marriage. An Irish immigrant in America grapples with belonging in a place that promised more than it delivered. In Sweden, someone faces a choice that will define their future relationships. Each character believes they understand their world until circumstances force them to see differently. The stories move between countries and cultures, but the emotional territory remains constant. People who thought they knew themselves find their assumptions crumbling. Neighbors become strangers, strangers become lifelines. Ní Dhuibhne captures these moments of recognition with precision and wit, showing how external events can trigger internal revolutions. The collection reveals how identity shifts when we least expect it, and how the people around us can offer shelter when our old certainties fail.
Genres: short-stories, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, strangers-to-lifelines
Setting: America, Dublin, Ireland, Sweden
Period: contemporary
288 pages · Paperback · Blackstaff Press