Sugartown

For fans of Sally Rooney and Megan Nolan comes a remarkable debut about a young woman who returns to her Irish hometown to find that nothing has changed, except herself

Saoirse’s life has lost what little direction it once had. Forced to move back in with her mother after a bad breakup, she finds herself living alongside three younger sisters she barely knows. Worse still, the brittle, distant woman who raised her is gone, replaced by a doting mother who showers her younger children with affection.

Saoirse thought she'd escaped this whirlwind of family drama when she moved to London; now, she's not so sure. She throws herself into a new relationship (fun), rekindling childhood friendships (mostly fun), and reacquainting herself with the pubs and clubs that were the backdrop to her teenage years (somehow less fun than it once was). It takes a chance accident to force Saoirse to face up to all the questions she's been running away from, not least, what does it mean to return home to a place you barely recognise?

Razor-sharp and full of wit, Sugartown is a powerful story about what happens when growing up means outgrowing the place - and people - you once thought you knew.