The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan

The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan (paperback)

Discover the emotional, bestselling novel about four generations of women and the stories that bind them, from the Booker longlisted author Of Strange Flowers.

'One of the finest novelists writing today... a haunting, exquisite masterpiece.' -Rachel Joyce

'Beautiful, compassionate... Donal Ryan at his inimitable best.' -Maggie O'Farrell

The Aylward women are mad about each other, but you wouldn't always think it. You'd have to know them - in spite of what neighbours might say about raised voices and dramatic scenes - to know that that their house is a place of peace, filled with love, a refuge from the sadness and cruelty of the world. The head of the family, Nana, is a woman who has buried two sons and whose life has been the family farm.

Her daughter-in-law, Eileen, is estranged from her own parents, having 'shamed' them and given birth to Saoirse. And then there's Saoirse herself, eavesdropping on lives she cannot comprehend. It is only when they must battle for the inheritance of Dirt Island - a narrow strip of land adjacent to Eileen's childhood home - that they truly understand the roots that bind their lives together.

'The prose drips like honey off a spoon' -Sunday Times

'I would struggle to think of any other Irish author working today who writes with as much compassion as Donal Ryan' -Louise O'Neill