Leo XIV: An Augustinian Life in Context by Brian Heffernan
(Messenger Publications, £10.95)
This papal biography offers a detailed examination of the contexts that have determined Leo XIV’s career. Heffernan clearly demonstrates how Leo’s novitiate differed from his predecessors’ and how the ethos of the Augustinian order has influenced his thinking. The significance of his study of canon law and his relation to the major currents of Catholic social thought, such as liberation theology, during his time in South America are also explored.
Leo XIV emerges as a relative moderate, who collaborates with progressives but has never been hasty to propose change. Particular care is devoted to delineating his failures in handling sexual abuse cases, a problem that seemed to prompt defensiveness and half-measures in his leadership. Seoirse Swanton
The Sky Is Not Enough by June O’Sullivan
(Poolbeg Press, €19.95)
This excellent second novel blends the essence of an unusual woman with meticulous research and a compelling narrative, leaving the reader with a thirst for more on its subject. Irish aviator Mary, Lady Heath, was the ultimate 20th-century rebel. Born Sophie Peirce-Evans in Limerick in 1896, she is weirdly under-sung today, yet was internationally celebrated in her time. The first woman to get a commercial pilot’s license, in 1928 she completed the first solo open-cockpit flight from Cape Town to London.
This trailblazing voyage provides the book’s framework. Skilfully interwoven timelines convey a difficult childhood and the career challenges of a gifted, ambitious woman. Her bravery and sheer love of flying and adventure shine through. Biographical historical fiction at its best. Helena Mulkerns
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The Dice Was Loaded from the Start by David Annand
(Corsair, £22)
Max, a disillusioned director in his early 40s, becomes sandwiched between generations when he moves his family from Berlin to Pemberton Place, off Hampstead Heath, in the summer of 2018. He spends his evenings getting to know the old guard who have watched the street gentrify. Other nights, he finds himself in the millennial house share in number five. While Max is flattered by the boomers’ attention and their interest in his floundering film career, it is with 25-year-old Zoe that he feels truly challenged and is reminded of his creative integrity.
The Dice Was Loaded from the Start offers a tender, thoughtful contemplation of generational divides, the housing crisis, and the fickle nature of art, ultimately succeeding through its granular inspection of the human spirit. Lanie Brice
