Books

Book ReviewsFighting Words

The Keeper by Tana French: A crime writer at the top of her game

The third novel in French’s Cal Hooper series is an immersive read that demands to be savoured

Contentious Spaces by Rosaleen McDonagh: Prose that’s measured, assured and fully human

David Keenan: ‘For me, the names of places and streets in the North have incredible magic to them’

Defiance by Loubna Mrie: A gripping, devastating account of a Syrian woman’s revolution

Dublin Literary Award 2026 shortlist: ‘Literature at its most international, most ambitious, and most humane’

Seán Lemass, The Lost Memoir: Leadership, Ireland’s economic transformation and Fianna Fáil

Everything That Is Beautiful by Louise Nealon: a breathless romance and a torrid hurling tale

New poetry: John McCullough; Paddy Bushe; Raquel F Menéndez; Wendy Cope

SHORT STORIES

POETRY

Author Susannah Dickey: ‘With each book I find myself more invested in writing Ireland’

Author Susannah Dickey: ‘With each book I find myself more invested in writing Ireland’

By Martin Doyle

Bodily Fluids by Liam Hughes: Medical memoir aims to entertain but lacks nuance

Bodily Fluids by Liam Hughes: Medical memoir aims to entertain but lacks nuance

EL by Thaddeus Ó Buachalla: An early contender for most ambitious Irish novel of the year

EL by Thaddeus Ó Buachalla: An early contender for most ambitious Irish novel of the year

By Declan Burke

Communion by Jon Doyle: A genuinely idiosyncratic way of describing the everyday

Communion by Jon Doyle: A genuinely idiosyncratic way of describing the everyday

By Lucy Sweeney Byrne

The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley: More extraordinary writing about ordinary lives

The Palm House by Gwendoline Riley: More extraordinary writing about ordinary lives

By Helen Cullen

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe: Mastery of timing makes this investigation a page-turner

London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe: Mastery of timing makes this investigation a page-turner

Mr Hoo and Other Stories: No judgment in these barrister’s tales united by literary mastery

Mr Hoo and Other Stories: No judgment in these barrister’s tales united by literary mastery

By Éilís Ní Dhuibhne

Python’s Kiss by Louise Erdrich: Intriguing, vital and often funny

Python’s Kiss by Louise Erdrich: Intriguing, vital and often funny

By Lucy Sweeney Byrne

Poem of the Week: Easter Blessing

Poem of the Week: Easter Blessing

By Iggy McGovern

Author Jan Carson: ‘I Googled what would happen if you drained Lough Neagh’

Author Jan Carson: ‘I Googled what would happen if you drained Lough Neagh’

By Martin Doyle

In brief: Leo XIV: An Augustinian Life in Context; The Sky Is Not Enough; The Dice Was Loaded from the Start

In brief: Leo XIV: An Augustinian Life in Context; The Sky Is Not Enough; The Dice Was Loaded from the Start

Nonesuch by Francis Spufford: Distinctly Narnian in timbre – pure story of the richest kind

Nonesuch by Francis Spufford: Distinctly Narnian in timbre – pure story of the richest kind

Pigott Poetry Prize shortlist announced

Pigott Poetry Prize shortlist announced

By Martin Doyle

Among Communists by Sinéad Morrissey: memoir captures North in pressure cooker of weirdness

Among Communists by Sinéad Morrissey: memoir captures North in pressure cooker of weirdness

By Nicholas Allen

All Them Dogs by Djamel White: Magical writing which tenderises the most hardened characters

All Them Dogs by Djamel White: Magical writing which tenderises the most hardened characters

By Elizabeth Mannion

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