After a year like no other, what better Christmas gift to offer a loved one than the opportunity to escape into a fictional world where it isn’t the year 2020? Not only this, but books serve as the perfect way to support local Irish business after a difficult year. You’ll be spoilt for choice in Dublin when it comes to independent book shops, whether you’re a fan of Camden Street’s quaint The Last Bookshop, or you prefer stopping for a lovingly-made coffee while browsing Books Upstairs on D’Olier Street. Never has there been a time when our friendly local bookshops have needed our support more. With that in mind, we have compiled a list of book recommendations that we are sure your literature-loving friends and family will enjoy.
Mark O’Connell, Notes from an Apocalypse: A Personal Journey to the End of the World and Back
The To Be a Machine author has once again produced an absorbing non-fiction read to entertain us all this Christmas. Notes from the Apocalypse deals with the searingly relevant anxiety of potential social and ecological collapse. O’Connell engagingly explores the variety of ways in which human life on earth could suffer through a myriad of experiences in places such as New Zealand, the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, apocalyptic bunkers in South Dakota and a wilderness reserve in the Scottish Highlands. O’Connell’s story avoids confining itself to straightforward analysis of the ways in which the world could end. The New York Times states that it’s not supposed to be a “response to any particular event; it’s an exploration of a sensibility”. O’Connell questions and teases out his theories in a fascinating read that is apt in the current 2020 moment.
Naoise Dolan, Exciting Times
Dolan’s first novel, Exciting Times has received glowing reviews since its release last April. Described as a “bracing, witty debut” by the Guardian, the novel follows the experiences of twenty-something dead-pan Ava as she moves from Ireland to Hong Kong to start her new job teaching English. The themes of gender, sexuality and class play out through Dolan’s dry, sharp narrative that is interspersed with extraordinarily accurate observations about the social complexities of adult life. Dolan’s is a wonderfully candid love story that traces one woman’s emotional journey as she tries to navigate her affections for two completely opposing figures. This is a refreshing take on love from the female perspective that doesn’t adhere to any of the usual clichés or norms. You won’t be able to resist getting swept up in the turmoil of Ava’s life and will inevitably have the novel completed within days.
Doireann Ní Ghríofa, A Ghost in the Throat
The Sunday Times has dubbed Doireann Ní Ghríofa’s novel as “one of the best books of this dreadful year”. The Galway writer has wowed critics with her stunning prose debut, managing to pick up the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature. This work of autofiction intertwines the tales of two women living centuries apart: a young contemporary mother whose life has just avoided tragedy becomes captivated by Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill’s 18th-century poem, Caoineadh Airt Uí Laoghaire, composed by the Irish noblewoman in the wake of her husband’s murder. Pick up a copy of this book if you’re a fan of page-turning tales and poetic prose.
Patrick Freyne, Ok Let’s Do Your Stupid Idea
Patrick Freyne’s debut has been described as “clever, lovely and great, great fun” by Roddy Doyle. This collection of essays tracks an assortment of “stupid” ideas Freyne has had throughout his life, conveying his satirical outlook. It’s brutally honest and covers an eccentric patchwork of human experiences: jumping out of a plane for charity, sibling conflict and the mortification of being naked in public. Extraordinary as some of the tales may seem, there are certainly aspects of this collection that many of us will relate to. Emilie Pine described Ok, Let’s do your Stupid Idea as “funny, smart, soulful and sometimes devastating”. This heart-warming and hilarious read is definitely something you’ll want to curl up with over the holidays.
