Books

Alice Ryan, daughter of Caroline Walsh, to publish debut novel

There’s Been a Little Incident is poignant examination of grief

Alice Ryan: launching her literary career

Martin Doyle's face
Martin Doyle
Thu Oct 21 2021 - 00:01

Alice Ryan, daughter of the late Irish Times literary editor Caroline Walsh and the writer James Ryan, is to publish her debut novel next year.

There’s Been a Little Incident, a poignant examination of the ways grief can pull people apart and weave them together, will be published by Head of Zeus next September.

When flighty but lovable Molly goes missing, her eccentric family, the Blacks, convene in Dublin for an emergency meeting. Orphaned at a young age, Molly has a history of running away and according to her hastily written leaving note, this time she is gone for good.

“Following the tragic death of my mum 10 years ago, writing became an act of hope,” Ryan said. “I wrote what I hoped would happen. The family in There’s Been a Little Incident suffer terrible loss and grief but somehow they manage to keep a hold of each other – through sheer grit, perseverance and industrial sized lasagnes.”

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Ryan grew up in Dublin, studied at the LSE in London and was head of insight and planning at BBC Studios. She now works at the Arts Council of Ireland and lives in Dublin with her husband Brian and daughter Kate.