M Word

Moya. The M Word. Whisper it. Conceal it. But please, never mention it ... Maggie Yates talks to her best mate Moya every day. She tells her about Maggie's mum losing her job. She tells her that Mum's taken to not opening the curtains and crying in secret. And she tells her about how she plans to cheer Mum up - find her a fella with a bit of cash to splash. Moya is with her every step of the way. You're surfing a rainbow if you think someone like that exists round here, she smiles. But I'll help. But at the back of her mind Maggie knows that Mum's crying is more than sadness. That there are no easy fixes. And that Moya's not really there. Because though she talks to her every day, Moya died months ago ... An unforgettable novel about grief and healing from Costa and Irish Book Award-winner Brian Conaghan.

Review: The M Word delivered everything I expect from Conaghan: searingly inventive language; characters with their emotional dials turned all the way up; a journey through real-world trauma that feels authentic and really connects. And add funny to that list - properly, genuinely funny. A welcome addition to an already-outstanding body of work * Martin Stewart, author of Riverkeep *
[...] a sensitive and insightful examination of how the human mind and body react to the loss of someone once essential to existence and about how to cope with the pain and the grief [...] Conaghan excels at creating completely authentic characters and spiky, sharp-tongued, straight-talking, streetwise, quick-witted Maggie doesn't disappoint * Reading Zone *
Conaghan has written yet another sensitive, gripping account of a teen struggling with the unfair pressures that life throws at her. Caution may be required for readers affected by the issues depicted, but no one will read it without their heart feeling full * CBI Mind Yourself 2020 Reading Guide *
An emotional rollercoaster of a book, written with so much heart it bounces off of the page. The darkness is balanced by cracking dialogue and humour. A bold, life-affirming read' * Irish Independent on THE WEIGHT OF A THOUSAND FEATHERS *
Conaghan is a sublime storyteller who can make the reader hang on his every last word (and all of the others) ... Conaghan is sensitive and the dark plot retains a lightness * Alex O'Connell, Sunday Times Book of the Week on THE WEIGHT OF A THOUSAND FEATHERS *