Birding

'I have GULPED this novel down . . . Birding gave me everything I want in a novel, including a massive, cathartic cry at the end. Achingly poignant, yet ultimately hopeful, with a worn out seaside town I can see so clearly' Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things

'A beautiful book full of stark truths . . . Lyrical and evocative, highly recommended' Evie King, author of Ashes to Admin

'I've had my socks absolutely knocked off (again) by Rose Ruane's latest novel Birding. It made me rage, reflect, howl with laughing, worry and blub. Gentle, strong, important and hopeful. I am in awe and couldn't recommend it more highly' Jessica Fostekew, writer, actor and co-host of The Guilty Feminist

In the nineties, Lydia was one half of a teen pop group. Their image was sexy, edgy, girly yet 'in control'. The reality was very different. Now, thirty years later, with #MeToo revelations a daily reality, a famous ex-lover resurfaces with a slick, self-serving apology, demanding forgiveness. Suddenly, Lydia is overwhelmed with memories of a harmful time in her life that refuses to leave her in peace.

Meanwhile, Joyce has never left home and the suffocating grip of her mother, Betty. For decades their lives have intertwined, even wearing matching dresses and make-up, as they follow a rigid daily routine. A single misstep can send Betty spiralling, so Joyce stays inside the tracks. But something unfamiliar is rising inside Joyce - a whispered what if . . .

Against the faded backdrop of a once-grand seaside resort, Lydia and Joyce are trapped in worlds of their own making. But as they both confront their pasts - the toxic men, the forgotten dreams, the twisted expectations - fate is about to throw them together, as they wrestle with the question: Can we ever truly take flight on broken wings?

Review: I have GULPED this novel down over the last couple of days. Birding gave me everything I want in a novel, including a massive, cathartic cry at the end. Achingly poignant, yet ultimately hopeful, with a worn out seaside town I can see so clearly -- Jennie Godfrey, author of The List of Suspicious Things (via X)
I've had my socks absolutely knocked off (again) by Rose Ruane's latest novel Birding. It made me rage, reflect, howl with laughing, worry and blub. Gentle, strong, important and hopeful. I am in awe and couldn't recommend it more highly -- Jessica Fostekew (via X)
I wish I could write as vividly and wisely as Rose Ruane. A beautiful book full of stark truths about relationships and self, framed in poetry and underscored by perfect analogies that had me nodding along in recognition throughout. The physical world of the book is alive and the internal worlds of the characters are deeply felt, as we are invited into their darkest thoughts and feelings and, in a way, asked to consider and process ourselves. Lyrical and evocative, highly recommended * Evie King, author of Ashes to Admin *
'The reader is always rooting for these women as they each arrive at their moments of reckoning... Birding is a sharp analysis of societal, gender and relationship expectations and the unnecessary harm they can inflict... While the subject matter could be depressing, Ruane's playful sense of humour adds plenty of levity resulting in a surprisingly moving and uplifting book that asks what it means to fully become ourselves' * Irish Times *
This unusual, uncomfortable novel is beautifully written * Daily Mail *