Recommended by the Reviewers Club

The Coast Road, by Alan Murrin

Cover of The Coast Road, by Alan Murrin.

Another young Irish author and a debut novel, this book is about three women in 90’s Ireland negotiating the complexities of marriage in a country where divorce is illegal. When Collette Crowly, a bohemian poet who left her husband and children after an affair with a married man in Dublin, returns home, her arrival is the catalyst that sets other women on journeys of self-discovery.

This was a very compelling read, beautifully crafted with acute characterisation and creditable depiction of a claustrophobic and closed Irish community. I had some reservations about the perceived inconsistencies in a couple of characters but overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this novel.

4.3/5 Stars