by Colin Barrett - undifferentiated
First published 2024
Dev opens his door Friday night to find Doll, the teenage brother of small-time dealer Cillian English, held captive by the Ferdia brothers. Gabe and Sketch Ferdia are County Mayo's fraternal enforcers, and their simmering conflict with Cillian has erupted into violence. They drag the reclusive Dev into their revenge scheme as Ballina prepares for its biggest weekend. Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Nicky wakes up hungover and worried. Something feels wrong about her boyfriend Doll's disappearance. Despite her own ghosts and doubts about staying in Ballina, she launches a desperate search to find him. Two outsiders struggle to survive as their small Irish town descends into chaos.
Genres: fiction, drama, crime, contemporary
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, outsiders
Setting: Ballina, County Mayo
Period: Friday Night
288 pages · Hardcover · Jonathan Cape
Content warnings: violence