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Evenings and Weekends
For fans of Sally Rooney and Torrey Peters, a taut and profoundly moving debut that follows a cast of intricately linked characters during a heatwave in London as simmering tensions and secrets come to a head over one life-changing weekend.
London, 2019. It’s the hottest June on record, and a whale is stuck in the Thames River. In the streets of the city, four old acquaintances want more from life than they’ve been given. On the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, their paths will intersect at a party that will change their lives forever…
Maggie, a once-hopeful artist turned waitress, is pregnant and preparing to move back to her hometown with her boyfriend and father-to-be Ed, leaving the city she loves and the life she imagined for herself.
Ed, coasting through life as a barely competent bike courier, is ready for a new start with Maggie and their baby, if only to finally leave behind his secret past of hooking up with strange men in train station bathrooms—and his secret past with Maggie’s best friend, Phil.
Phil, who sleepwalks through his office job and lives for the weekends, is on the brink of achieving his first real relationship with his roommate Keith. The two live in an illegal warehouse commune with other quirky creatives and idealists—the site of the party to end all parties.
As the temperature continues to climb, Maggie, Ed, and Phil will have to confront their shared pasts, current desires, and limits of their future lives together before the weekend is over.
Strikingly heartfelt, sexually charged, and disarmingly comic, Oisín McKenna’s addictive, page-turning debut is a mesmerizing dive into the soul of a city and a critical look at the political, emotional, and financial hurdles facing young adults trying to build lives there and often living for their evenings and weekends.
London, 2019. It’s the hottest June on record, and a whale is stuck in the Thames River. In the streets of the city, four old acquaintances want more from life than they’ve been given. On the summer solstice, the longest day of the year, their paths will intersect at a party that will change their lives forever…
Maggie, a once-hopeful artist turned waitress, is pregnant and preparing to move back to her hometown with her boyfriend and father-to-be Ed, leaving the city she loves and the life she imagined for herself.
Ed, coasting through life as a barely competent bike courier, is ready for a new start with Maggie and their baby, if only to finally leave behind his secret past of hooking up with strange men in train station bathrooms—and his secret past with Maggie’s best friend, Phil.
Phil, who sleepwalks through his office job and lives for the weekends, is on the brink of achieving his first real relationship with his roommate Keith. The two live in an illegal warehouse commune with other quirky creatives and idealists—the site of the party to end all parties.
As the temperature continues to climb, Maggie, Ed, and Phil will have to confront their shared pasts, current desires, and limits of their future lives together before the weekend is over.
Strikingly heartfelt, sexually charged, and disarmingly comic, Oisín McKenna’s addictive, page-turning debut is a mesmerizing dive into the soul of a city and a critical look at the political, emotional, and financial hurdles facing young adults trying to build lives there and often living for their evenings and weekends.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 16, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 922 reviews
August 31, 2024
had me at "for fans of sally rooney"
(review to come / thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
(review to come / thanks to the publisher for the e-arc)
July 28, 2024
i really wanted to love this bc it was advertised as “for fans of sally rooney” but i just couldn’t really get into it unfortunately!
its set across a weekend and we get a glimpse of the lives of many characters (which i felt was too much and i couldn’t connect to any of them) who have issues of their own and some that intertwine with the others.
i found myself skimming through the parts of characters i didn’t care about & was just basically bored overall. bc again, i couldn’t find myself caring about the characters bc we are thrown into the middle of like 8?? characters problems all at once and it felt like like a chore
its set across a weekend and we get a glimpse of the lives of many characters (which i felt was too much and i couldn’t connect to any of them) who have issues of their own and some that intertwine with the others.
i found myself skimming through the parts of characters i didn’t care about & was just basically bored overall. bc again, i couldn’t find myself caring about the characters bc we are thrown into the middle of like 8?? characters problems all at once and it felt like like a chore
April 19, 2024
Russell Tovey claims it is ‘Astonishing’
Owen Jones shouts ‘lt’s a masterpiece’
I therefore was excitably nervous as to what I would think and find between this intriguingly reviewed book
I found London, London in that hot never ending Summer of 2019 when the poor whale beached, London full of lust, excitement and the belief that anything and everything was just around the next corner
Based on complex characters yet not complex to get to know and their ambitions and dreams and wants and desires it was a book like no other I have read for a long time
It is a queer led book ( yep I used to not be overkeen on the word either but as someone who was used to being called it it feels almost ok after reading this book that its been reclaimed by us for us and not a care given either way who it offends) and has some very poignant dilemmas as unspoken love comes to a head with outspoken sexuality
The writing is divine, it was literally a joy to read and one of those books where every sentence caused a reaction, sometimes good, sometimes challenging
I absolutely loved it, every word
Owen Jones shouts ‘lt’s a masterpiece’
I therefore was excitably nervous as to what I would think and find between this intriguingly reviewed book
I found London, London in that hot never ending Summer of 2019 when the poor whale beached, London full of lust, excitement and the belief that anything and everything was just around the next corner
Based on complex characters yet not complex to get to know and their ambitions and dreams and wants and desires it was a book like no other I have read for a long time
It is a queer led book ( yep I used to not be overkeen on the word either but as someone who was used to being called it it feels almost ok after reading this book that its been reclaimed by us for us and not a care given either way who it offends) and has some very poignant dilemmas as unspoken love comes to a head with outspoken sexuality
The writing is divine, it was literally a joy to read and one of those books where every sentence caused a reaction, sometimes good, sometimes challenging
I absolutely loved it, every word
May 3, 2024
4.5 stars. Set across one swelteringly hot weekend in London, Evenings and Weekends centres around a cast of intricately linked characters, most of whom are harbouring secrets. Everything comes to a head over the course of this weekend as tensions arise and relationships are put to the test. Literally struggling to believe this is a debut novel as it all felt so polished and perfectly constructed. I really felt for the majority of the characters and was very emotionally invested in their lives. Also the humour and references to pop culture were a delight!! And it goes without saying that I love discovering a new Irish author to fawn over. One to look out for!!
August 15, 2024
There were some pretty good turn of phrases and a few cool scenes/moments of insight but profoundly moving it was not.
July 25, 2024
Beached In London
Oisin McKenna’s debut novel “Evenings and Weekends” is loaded with remarkable characters. Early on I had to jot down a roster, a family tree of sorts, as these people came on the scene. It was worth it. The cast here is amazing, populated by fascinating three-dimensional players. Strikingly, there are no bad guys here, just souls figuring out who they are and what they need for their lives.
London. Cities or locales are usually integral to the story– here London is a big player. The city charges and feeds those here. We feel the promise, the excitement, everyone’s expectations pumped up. The intensity is magnified by the sensation over a whale trapped in the Thames, an event drawing most of these players in.
There are couples scrambling to determine the futures of their relationships. Maggie is pregnant with Ed’s child, and they are planning on raising the baby outside of London. Ed is afraid Maggie is going to find out secrets in his past. Maggie’s close friend, Phil, has had a sexual experience with Ed and may tell Maggie. Phil is in love with his housemate, Keith– who also has a boyfriend, Louis (who may be harboring feelings for Phil!).
So, there are a lot of characters and interweaving relationships going on here… a little reminiscent of a movie like “Love, Actually.” My favorite is Rosaleen– Phil’s mom. She has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She has to find the right way to let Phil know. She has to make sense of her life’s journey. She also has to embrace Pauline, her close friend whose death years ago has haunted her.
Yes, it was a little difficult to keep track of these people as they first appeared. With so many different threads going, it would seem likely to be the stuff of a soap opera. Somehow, the pages kept turning rapidly and I bought into each character’s struggle to navigate a future. An inspired novel by a new voice.
Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #EveningsandWeekends #NetGalley
Oisin McKenna’s debut novel “Evenings and Weekends” is loaded with remarkable characters. Early on I had to jot down a roster, a family tree of sorts, as these people came on the scene. It was worth it. The cast here is amazing, populated by fascinating three-dimensional players. Strikingly, there are no bad guys here, just souls figuring out who they are and what they need for their lives.
London. Cities or locales are usually integral to the story– here London is a big player. The city charges and feeds those here. We feel the promise, the excitement, everyone’s expectations pumped up. The intensity is magnified by the sensation over a whale trapped in the Thames, an event drawing most of these players in.
There are couples scrambling to determine the futures of their relationships. Maggie is pregnant with Ed’s child, and they are planning on raising the baby outside of London. Ed is afraid Maggie is going to find out secrets in his past. Maggie’s close friend, Phil, has had a sexual experience with Ed and may tell Maggie. Phil is in love with his housemate, Keith– who also has a boyfriend, Louis (who may be harboring feelings for Phil!).
So, there are a lot of characters and interweaving relationships going on here… a little reminiscent of a movie like “Love, Actually.” My favorite is Rosaleen– Phil’s mom. She has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She has to find the right way to let Phil know. She has to make sense of her life’s journey. She also has to embrace Pauline, her close friend whose death years ago has haunted her.
Yes, it was a little difficult to keep track of these people as they first appeared. With so many different threads going, it would seem likely to be the stuff of a soap opera. Somehow, the pages kept turning rapidly and I bought into each character’s struggle to navigate a future. An inspired novel by a new voice.
Thank you to Mariner Books and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #EveningsandWeekends #NetGalley
July 31, 2024
At first, I considered DNF-ing the book. Irish author, Oisín McKenna, is very young and the book seemed to be written for a much younger audience. However, I’m very happy I persevered because it soon appeared that people of all ages were represented. Before I was even halfway into the book, I’d become utterly charmed, besotted, smitten, and any other “love” word you can name! It’s such a beautiful story, with so many unexpected and wonderfully quirky things happening along the way! What I loved most about Evenings and Weekends was what McKenna had to say—through his characters’ thoughts—about life, about love, and about human nature. For such a young author, his writing demonstrates an astonishing maturity, with philosophical insights on life.
The Guardian British daily recently characterised the book as a “tender portrait of contemporary queer life”—quite an apt description. And that tenderness is what kept my heart feeling full to bursting much of the time. The rest of the time I spent giggling, chuckling, or laughing out loud! McKenna has a phenomenal talent for comedy—cultivated, I’m guessing, during his years as a verbal storyteller.
Before he began writing fiction, McKenna was, and remains, an award-winning spoken word artist. In 2017, The Irish Times named him one of the best spoken word artists in the country. He’s written and performed several theatre shows and radio plays. After reading his fictional debut, and watching a few of his online shows, it’s my opinion that McKenna is wise beyond his years. I feel certain his tremendous talent for writing will produce several published novels in the years ahead. I’ve seen this book called a “literary masterpiece” and I could not agree more!!🌟 I encourage all of you to consider reading this book! You’ll be glad you did.
5 “They-just-want-to-be-seen-and-heard” stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Guardian British daily recently characterised the book as a “tender portrait of contemporary queer life”—quite an apt description. And that tenderness is what kept my heart feeling full to bursting much of the time. The rest of the time I spent giggling, chuckling, or laughing out loud! McKenna has a phenomenal talent for comedy—cultivated, I’m guessing, during his years as a verbal storyteller.
Before he began writing fiction, McKenna was, and remains, an award-winning spoken word artist. In 2017, The Irish Times named him one of the best spoken word artists in the country. He’s written and performed several theatre shows and radio plays. After reading his fictional debut, and watching a few of his online shows, it’s my opinion that McKenna is wise beyond his years. I feel certain his tremendous talent for writing will produce several published novels in the years ahead. I’ve seen this book called a “literary masterpiece” and I could not agree more!!🌟 I encourage all of you to consider reading this book! You’ll be glad you did.
5 “They-just-want-to-be-seen-and-heard” stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
July 22, 2024
Blurb says this is “for fans of Sally Rooney and Torrey Peters.” You’ll need to be the judge of that. I can see it, but McKenna is also doing his own thing.
This novel feels veryyyy contemporary (well 2019 pre-Covid contemporary). With name drops of mainstream pop artists to Brexit to memes and whatever, it’s definitely 2019-era heavy. Its main focal point is what it’s like to be young and alive during the chaos of this world. More specifically, the world of London. The book is very London, and although I’ve never visited there, the book succeeds at portraying the hustle and bustle of London living, while showcasing the multifaceted dynamics of the people who call it home. London is the main character.
The novel has a relatability to it. You’ve met these people before, especially if you’re part of the millennial generation: The struggling artist, the hipsters, the dealer, the confused bisexuals, the “I don’t know what I want to do with my life” type, and the “I can’t afford anything” dilemma.
Here we have Maggie, a 30 year old who is pregnant, deciding to move back to her small town under the guise of wanting to settle down. Her boyfriend, Ed, is trying to be responsible, but is also hiding a past of hooking up with men in public bathrooms. (!!!!) Ed also shares a past with Maggie’s best friend, Phil. Phil is in a throuple situationship. Phil’s mom, Rosaleen has just been diagnosed with cancer, which everyone seems to be aware of except for Phil. Oh, and there’s a distressed whale that has washed up on shore and is the current talk of the city and social media. Oh, the drama!
EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS takes place mostly over one weekend. As the title would suggest, we don’t ever see the characters during their working hours. We hear about that life, but we don’t actually witness it. This is more a look at their trials and tribulations during their time off. Even though Maggie, Ed, Phil, and Rosaleen are our main quartet, the novel actually consists of a large ensemble. We get (third person) perspectives of pretty much everyone in their close friendship group, as well as some of their parents.
The prose and dialogue are breezy and just glides you along. The vibe is an endless buzz, sticky as the summer heat. We’re invited to the parties, the eateries, and beloved landmarks. We’re privy to the private jokes, the anxiety, the insecurities, the jealousies, the lust, the hookups, the camaraderie, the nostalgia, and the loyalties. Flip-flopping between unshakable bonds and fragile partnerships. Every character is secretly in a vulnerable position, with an almost stubborn unwillingness to bear their soul. It’s one of those books where characters find themselves unable to communicate, afraid of what their admissions will mean to the other person. Not only used as a protective shield for themselves, but as a shelter for the other person.
Enjoyed my time here. Made me feel nostalgic. Also made me want to reach out to some friends I haven’t conversed with in a hot minute. A most sumptuous debut.
This novel feels veryyyy contemporary (well 2019 pre-Covid contemporary). With name drops of mainstream pop artists to Brexit to memes and whatever, it’s definitely 2019-era heavy. Its main focal point is what it’s like to be young and alive during the chaos of this world. More specifically, the world of London. The book is very London, and although I’ve never visited there, the book succeeds at portraying the hustle and bustle of London living, while showcasing the multifaceted dynamics of the people who call it home. London is the main character.
The novel has a relatability to it. You’ve met these people before, especially if you’re part of the millennial generation: The struggling artist, the hipsters, the dealer, the confused bisexuals, the “I don’t know what I want to do with my life” type, and the “I can’t afford anything” dilemma.
Here we have Maggie, a 30 year old who is pregnant, deciding to move back to her small town under the guise of wanting to settle down. Her boyfriend, Ed, is trying to be responsible, but is also hiding a past of hooking up with men in public bathrooms. (!!!!) Ed also shares a past with Maggie’s best friend, Phil. Phil is in a throuple situationship. Phil’s mom, Rosaleen has just been diagnosed with cancer, which everyone seems to be aware of except for Phil. Oh, and there’s a distressed whale that has washed up on shore and is the current talk of the city and social media. Oh, the drama!
EVENINGS AND WEEKENDS takes place mostly over one weekend. As the title would suggest, we don’t ever see the characters during their working hours. We hear about that life, but we don’t actually witness it. This is more a look at their trials and tribulations during their time off. Even though Maggie, Ed, Phil, and Rosaleen are our main quartet, the novel actually consists of a large ensemble. We get (third person) perspectives of pretty much everyone in their close friendship group, as well as some of their parents.
The prose and dialogue are breezy and just glides you along. The vibe is an endless buzz, sticky as the summer heat. We’re invited to the parties, the eateries, and beloved landmarks. We’re privy to the private jokes, the anxiety, the insecurities, the jealousies, the lust, the hookups, the camaraderie, the nostalgia, and the loyalties. Flip-flopping between unshakable bonds and fragile partnerships. Every character is secretly in a vulnerable position, with an almost stubborn unwillingness to bear their soul. It’s one of those books where characters find themselves unable to communicate, afraid of what their admissions will mean to the other person. Not only used as a protective shield for themselves, but as a shelter for the other person.
Enjoyed my time here. Made me feel nostalgic. Also made me want to reach out to some friends I haven’t conversed with in a hot minute. A most sumptuous debut.
July 13, 2024
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Irish litfic is the shit, and oh, how I fucking can't get enough of it. It's astounding that this is Oisín McKenna's debut novel; not only is it incredibly written, it's also raw, queer as fuck, and awfully sad. You'd think it'd be annoying to hear 10 characters perspectives, thoughts, and all their whining, but honestly, it's done in the most realistic and beautiful way ever, and this is coming from a person who has memory of a goldfish and can't keep up. If you like litfic, you might want to pick this up.
July 21, 2024
✰ 3 stars ✰
“He wants more from his weekend than this. He wants more from his life.”
The events of Evenings and Weekends unfurl over the course of one weekend during an intense heatwave in London 2019. Featuring a cast of friends and families whose messy lives intertwine as they face the emotional struggles of their everyday lives as their feelings finally rear its head of having them confront those personal conflicts they've fought so hard to keep at bay. The dissonance of this debut relies heavily on its ability of providing each respective POV and having them brought forth with a compelling enough reason that serves as a necessary inclusion - some succeeded, some failed. 🙍🏻♀️
Life is complicated and life is messy. Life is trying to get by with the ones you love - knowing that maybe keeping some things secret are for their benefit, or maybe denying someone the full compass of your affection is denying a deeper part of your own self, or maybe falling through on how you truly feel is the only way for you to escape that feeling that you've failed to see. It's challenging work - owning up to the mistakes you've made and working to live upto the expectations of the ones in your lives you care about. 🫂
“Love is something you deliberately decide to do through repeated actions of care. Love is something you make.”
It's hard to imagine that it would only take one weekend for so many life-altering changes and decisions to take place, but, somehow Oisin McKenna's literary debut makes it work. Albeit with a few rough edges here and there - some questionable choices of perspectives that did not provide much meat to the plot - some final actions that I wish could have been avoided, but ultimately - a celebration of feelings with friends and family that one lets into their heart. ❤️🩹❤️🩹 The chance to take a bolder initiative - a braver future - and to shed the skin that once one clung onto so fiercely that it changed the shape of all relationships because of it.
It is always a feat to pull off multiple points of views, but once the cast had been introduced and their relationship with one another fully explained, I began to appreciate this examination of exploring these different and unique personas as they tackle their own personal emotions that thwart their daily affairs. ‘I never wanted to stop you from acting on your desires.’ 😥 It's the amalgamation of watching these respective forces colliding and experiencing each revelation with one another and seeing their experiences bring light into the untapped possibilities.
And there is a lot going on; be it parental pains or mental health issues, sexuality awakenings, and relationship status - it is a lot that unravels in a limited time period that would be hard to follow through, but once I got used to the writing, it was easy to fall into the narrative and the characters. 'She’s been in this pit for decades. This pit is where she lives. Sometimes she tries to claw her way out of it.' It also had a softness to it that despite the heavy and serious tones, a melancholic and wistful feeling lingered that came through especially with the older generation's look back on a life of regrets and lost chances - a loneliness that seeps in over a lifetime missed. 😔 The writing definitely has a very keen sense of British-ness feel to it, which I liked, on the eve of COVID - a whale washing ashore on the river Thames, the movement of Brexit gave it a certain edge. I was worried that it would be hard to read, and though, at times, the humor did not quite translate well off-page, I still was drawn to their personalities and their intentions - the keen desperation to fix things wronged and hope that whatever they decided would be worth it. 🌸
“But that’s what it means to love someone. It means to lose things. It means to have deep needs that go unfulfilled, because the person you love is most important. That’s love.”
Keeping it close-knit, well, literally in the family, made it easy for me to empathize and sympathize with each of their plights - their conflicts and their complexities that made them feel very real and relatable - their dialogue - believable and very every-day-like. Phil, especially, was one character I gravitated towards - the son, the friend, the lover, who has to manage so much and figure out what is the right way to act - who to let go - how to prove one's love - is love enough? 'But also, he thinks, life is short. Why not just try to see what happens? Why not try to push things forward?' 💑🏻 It's the shifting of unexpected reveals, the anxiety of standing at a crossroad and not knowing which way to go, the desire to have everything and not all at once, the fear of losing someone in the hopes of gaining something else in return - the dynamic of each relationship was a journey - a cataclysm to finally reaching a destination that would ultimately give them the closure they were all seeking. A very character-driven narrative - one that if you aren't invested enough in their pasts, it would be hard to care enough for them. 🥺
But, somehow, it does pay off; all the many leaps and bounds the writing took me on, eventually it paves a future that gives them the positive outlook that this little speedbump of a weekend would right the course for them. Their flaws are what gives these characters a better understanding of what their expectations are in life. 💟💟 The unnerving potential for better challenges and taking greater risks with the hope that it will be a favorable one. I may have wondered why there was a need to include certain characters' storylines, I wasn't exactly in favor of certain characters' outcomes, but it was not that bad of a read. I was intrigued by the premise and I was able to have a somewhat decent time with it - one where I did not regret reading it, so there is that to be optimistic about. 👏🏻👏🏻
“He wants more from his weekend than this. He wants more from his life.”
The events of Evenings and Weekends unfurl over the course of one weekend during an intense heatwave in London 2019. Featuring a cast of friends and families whose messy lives intertwine as they face the emotional struggles of their everyday lives as their feelings finally rear its head of having them confront those personal conflicts they've fought so hard to keep at bay. The dissonance of this debut relies heavily on its ability of providing each respective POV and having them brought forth with a compelling enough reason that serves as a necessary inclusion - some succeeded, some failed. 🙍🏻♀️
Life is complicated and life is messy. Life is trying to get by with the ones you love - knowing that maybe keeping some things secret are for their benefit, or maybe denying someone the full compass of your affection is denying a deeper part of your own self, or maybe falling through on how you truly feel is the only way for you to escape that feeling that you've failed to see. It's challenging work - owning up to the mistakes you've made and working to live upto the expectations of the ones in your lives you care about. 🫂
“Love is something you deliberately decide to do through repeated actions of care. Love is something you make.”
It's hard to imagine that it would only take one weekend for so many life-altering changes and decisions to take place, but, somehow Oisin McKenna's literary debut makes it work. Albeit with a few rough edges here and there - some questionable choices of perspectives that did not provide much meat to the plot - some final actions that I wish could have been avoided, but ultimately - a celebration of feelings with friends and family that one lets into their heart. ❤️🩹❤️🩹 The chance to take a bolder initiative - a braver future - and to shed the skin that once one clung onto so fiercely that it changed the shape of all relationships because of it.
It is always a feat to pull off multiple points of views, but once the cast had been introduced and their relationship with one another fully explained, I began to appreciate this examination of exploring these different and unique personas as they tackle their own personal emotions that thwart their daily affairs. ‘I never wanted to stop you from acting on your desires.’ 😥 It's the amalgamation of watching these respective forces colliding and experiencing each revelation with one another and seeing their experiences bring light into the untapped possibilities.
And there is a lot going on; be it parental pains or mental health issues, sexuality awakenings, and relationship status - it is a lot that unravels in a limited time period that would be hard to follow through, but once I got used to the writing, it was easy to fall into the narrative and the characters. 'She’s been in this pit for decades. This pit is where she lives. Sometimes she tries to claw her way out of it.' It also had a softness to it that despite the heavy and serious tones, a melancholic and wistful feeling lingered that came through especially with the older generation's look back on a life of regrets and lost chances - a loneliness that seeps in over a lifetime missed. 😔 The writing definitely has a very keen sense of British-ness feel to it, which I liked, on the eve of COVID - a whale washing ashore on the river Thames, the movement of Brexit gave it a certain edge. I was worried that it would be hard to read, and though, at times, the humor did not quite translate well off-page, I still was drawn to their personalities and their intentions - the keen desperation to fix things wronged and hope that whatever they decided would be worth it. 🌸
“But that’s what it means to love someone. It means to lose things. It means to have deep needs that go unfulfilled, because the person you love is most important. That’s love.”
Keeping it close-knit, well, literally in the family, made it easy for me to empathize and sympathize with each of their plights - their conflicts and their complexities that made them feel very real and relatable - their dialogue - believable and very every-day-like. Phil, especially, was one character I gravitated towards - the son, the friend, the lover, who has to manage so much and figure out what is the right way to act - who to let go - how to prove one's love - is love enough? 'But also, he thinks, life is short. Why not just try to see what happens? Why not try to push things forward?' 💑🏻 It's the shifting of unexpected reveals, the anxiety of standing at a crossroad and not knowing which way to go, the desire to have everything and not all at once, the fear of losing someone in the hopes of gaining something else in return - the dynamic of each relationship was a journey - a cataclysm to finally reaching a destination that would ultimately give them the closure they were all seeking. A very character-driven narrative - one that if you aren't invested enough in their pasts, it would be hard to care enough for them. 🥺
But, somehow, it does pay off; all the many leaps and bounds the writing took me on, eventually it paves a future that gives them the positive outlook that this little speedbump of a weekend would right the course for them. Their flaws are what gives these characters a better understanding of what their expectations are in life. 💟💟 The unnerving potential for better challenges and taking greater risks with the hope that it will be a favorable one. I may have wondered why there was a need to include certain characters' storylines, I wasn't exactly in favor of certain characters' outcomes, but it was not that bad of a read. I was intrigued by the premise and I was able to have a somewhat decent time with it - one where I did not regret reading it, so there is that to be optimistic about. 👏🏻👏🏻
August 21, 2024
As you can tell from my rating, I really liked this novel.
Evenings and Weekends takes place mostly over a weekend. It's inhabited by several characters, most of them are in their late twenties, early thirties. There's Ed and Maggie, who discover they're expecting a baby. Maggie's best friend is Phil, he's in love and lust with Keith who's already in a relationship with another man. Phil's brother, Callum, is soon to be married to Holly. His best friend and best man at the wedding is Ed. Ed, Maggie, Phil and Callum are from the same town, they've known each other for many years.
London is one of the characters of this novel, in its incarnations as a glamorous metropolis where working people live in moldy, derelict rental places that many have to put up with if they want a roof over their heads.
This excellent debut novel is modern, fast-paced, and incredibly well-written.
McKenna digs into the characters' psyche with aplomb, masterfully unpeeling the inner selves vs the facades we all present.
Evenings and Weekends takes place mostly over a weekend. It's inhabited by several characters, most of them are in their late twenties, early thirties. There's Ed and Maggie, who discover they're expecting a baby. Maggie's best friend is Phil, he's in love and lust with Keith who's already in a relationship with another man. Phil's brother, Callum, is soon to be married to Holly. His best friend and best man at the wedding is Ed. Ed, Maggie, Phil and Callum are from the same town, they've known each other for many years.
London is one of the characters of this novel, in its incarnations as a glamorous metropolis where working people live in moldy, derelict rental places that many have to put up with if they want a roof over their heads.
This excellent debut novel is modern, fast-paced, and incredibly well-written.
McKenna digs into the characters' psyche with aplomb, masterfully unpeeling the inner selves vs the facades we all present.
July 29, 2024
We have read it all before. Everybody’s gay, everybody resembles their parents, love is in the [hot] air, etc. Also, I found choosing a female narrator a trick to make me like this book should I have enjoyed Sally Rooney’s novels, and I don’t like being tricked, as a reader.
August 17, 2024
“Love isn’t a feeling. It’s not the butterflies in your tummy you get in the giddy early days of a relationship. The butterflies don’t last. Love is something you deliberately decide to do through repeated actions of care. Love is something you make.”
What a beautiful, messy, vulnerable story. I honestly love a plot with characters that all intertwine in a really lovely way. I want to give each character a veryyyy long hug and tell them it’s going to be ok. This was emotional and raw and really showed what it means to be a human. What incredible and gorgeous writing and storytelling Oisín shared as a debut! Definitely for fans of Sally Rooney or Coco Mellors {and also Chapell Roan🫶🏼} loved it!
Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC!
What a beautiful, messy, vulnerable story. I honestly love a plot with characters that all intertwine in a really lovely way. I want to give each character a veryyyy long hug and tell them it’s going to be ok. This was emotional and raw and really showed what it means to be a human. What incredible and gorgeous writing and storytelling Oisín shared as a debut! Definitely for fans of Sally Rooney or Coco Mellors {and also Chapell Roan🫶🏼} loved it!
Thank you NetGalley for the digital ARC!
March 13, 2024
Evenings & Weekends takes place over a scorchingly hot weekend during a heatwave in London 2019. We meet a group of young millennials who are attending a solstice party. Maggie, 30-years-old and pregnant, is confronted with an inevitable future in the hometown which she previously contended with. She is beginning to question whether or not this pregnancy will be a final act of spontaneity. Ed, a former bike courier, is eagerly anticipating the day he can settle down with Maggie as a family unit. However, little does Maggie know, Ed has a mysterious past with Maggie’s best friend, Phil. Phil is falling deeper in love with his housemate Keith, while he works at an office, a job that he detests with passion. It seems that there is an issue, though: Keith is in a solid relationship. We also have the pleasure of being introduced to Rosaleen, Phil’s mother. She has recently been diagnosed with cancer and is travelling all the way down to London, so she can tell her son the devastating news in-person. The characters must confront their pasts and future desires, and their lives may change forever.
Evenings & Weekends is one of the most beautifully written novels I have ever read and I’m simply astonished that it is a debut. The book swept me off of my feet and didn’t put me down until I had finished it. I did not want to put this book down!
I can guarantee that you will fall in love with this novel, especially if you’re into books where there isn’t a plot as such, but you get to spend time with the characters, watching as they make good and bad decisions. McKenna portrays the characters in such a beautiful and realistic manner. They all have flaws and are well-rounded, they felt very vivid to me. They all have shifting dynamics, both with themselves, and with each other, if almost felt as though I too were growing with the characters throughout the duration of the novel. I loved how intrinsically linked the characters were, and the way they all came together, and the connections they shared. Phil’s relationships, in particular, brought an overarching theme of delicacy to the novel, but by far the most powerful of the characters was Rosaleen and the relationship that she shares with herself. She will forever hold a place in my heart. McKenna, using the character of Rosaleen, writes about memory, the ways that we can recount memories to try and preserve them, and how important they are in our identities. This was the real highlight of the book for me.
Novels that are set over the course of a period of time are a great concept, and Evenings & Weekends, a novel I found nail-bitingly tense to read at times, is definitely no exception. I loved how each of the chapters focuses on an individual character’s perspective. It helped with maintaining the novel’s fresh and interesting narrative, while also allowing the novel to be told from an array of views and different sets of eyes. The story didn’t feel at all limited. McKenna allows the reader to see a fuller picture of the world he’s trying to unveil. McKenna also brings the novel to a conclusion that’s both emotional and poignant, and this makes the novel a total pleasure to read.
Evenings & Weekends reads much like as though it is a love letter to life, in all of its messy and highly unpredictable forms. If you are a fan of authors such as Coco Mellors and Sally Rooney, then I would definitely suggest you add this to your never-ending TBR list.
Thank you to NetGalley, 4th Estate, and Oisin McKenna for the wonderful ARC in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait to see what McKenna does in the future!
Publishing date: 9 May 2024
Evenings & Weekends is one of the most beautifully written novels I have ever read and I’m simply astonished that it is a debut. The book swept me off of my feet and didn’t put me down until I had finished it. I did not want to put this book down!
I can guarantee that you will fall in love with this novel, especially if you’re into books where there isn’t a plot as such, but you get to spend time with the characters, watching as they make good and bad decisions. McKenna portrays the characters in such a beautiful and realistic manner. They all have flaws and are well-rounded, they felt very vivid to me. They all have shifting dynamics, both with themselves, and with each other, if almost felt as though I too were growing with the characters throughout the duration of the novel. I loved how intrinsically linked the characters were, and the way they all came together, and the connections they shared. Phil’s relationships, in particular, brought an overarching theme of delicacy to the novel, but by far the most powerful of the characters was Rosaleen and the relationship that she shares with herself. She will forever hold a place in my heart. McKenna, using the character of Rosaleen, writes about memory, the ways that we can recount memories to try and preserve them, and how important they are in our identities. This was the real highlight of the book for me.
Novels that are set over the course of a period of time are a great concept, and Evenings & Weekends, a novel I found nail-bitingly tense to read at times, is definitely no exception. I loved how each of the chapters focuses on an individual character’s perspective. It helped with maintaining the novel’s fresh and interesting narrative, while also allowing the novel to be told from an array of views and different sets of eyes. The story didn’t feel at all limited. McKenna allows the reader to see a fuller picture of the world he’s trying to unveil. McKenna also brings the novel to a conclusion that’s both emotional and poignant, and this makes the novel a total pleasure to read.
Evenings & Weekends reads much like as though it is a love letter to life, in all of its messy and highly unpredictable forms. If you are a fan of authors such as Coco Mellors and Sally Rooney, then I would definitely suggest you add this to your never-ending TBR list.
Thank you to NetGalley, 4th Estate, and Oisin McKenna for the wonderful ARC in exchange for an honest review. I cannot wait to see what McKenna does in the future!
Publishing date: 9 May 2024
July 31, 2024
The pacing, dialogue, characters shine on this sweltering London weekend, opens with a Whale trapped in The Thames River. Observations, examination into the lives of a couple who just found out they are expecting a child but both fear the change that’s to come, an imbalanced queer relationship between three men and secrets between various dynamics that threatens to unravel some of these relationships. So fun, you could in fact finish it in one weekend.
May 14, 2024
How to sum up Evenings and Weekends by Oisin McKenna in one word? Zesty (in the modern sense).
Set over a hot, sweaty few summer days in London in 2019, we are introduced to a cast of connected characters, all of whom are at a crossroads in life.
Maggie is pregnant and struggling to make ends meet, about to move back to Basildon in Essex but still harbouring dreams of working full time as an artist. Ed is in a relationship with Maggie but is haunted by his past and questions over his sexuality. Maggie's best friend Phil is living in a communal warehouse and is in a situationship with one of his housemates Carl, who is in a non-monogamous relationship with Louis. Rosaleen is Phil's mother and she's been diagnosed with cancer. She's also haunted by the ghosts of her past in Ireland and worries for her two sons, the other of whom (Callum) is a drug dealer about to marry his girlfriend Holly.
Running alongside all of this is a whale beached on Bermondsey Beach being rescued by a Princess Diana lookalike and newly crowned queer icon, and a crumbling Conservative government under Theresa May.
There's a lot going on in this frenetic-paced novel - perhaps just a few too many characters - but it's full of humanity, humour, love, sex and heartache, and it's hard not to get swept along with it. While very different, its atmospheric chaos and vibrancy reminded me of Brick Lane by Monica Ali and White Teeth by Zadie Smith. If you love a hot city summer novel, you've just found your dream book. 4/5 ⭐️
Set over a hot, sweaty few summer days in London in 2019, we are introduced to a cast of connected characters, all of whom are at a crossroads in life.
Maggie is pregnant and struggling to make ends meet, about to move back to Basildon in Essex but still harbouring dreams of working full time as an artist. Ed is in a relationship with Maggie but is haunted by his past and questions over his sexuality. Maggie's best friend Phil is living in a communal warehouse and is in a situationship with one of his housemates Carl, who is in a non-monogamous relationship with Louis. Rosaleen is Phil's mother and she's been diagnosed with cancer. She's also haunted by the ghosts of her past in Ireland and worries for her two sons, the other of whom (Callum) is a drug dealer about to marry his girlfriend Holly.
Running alongside all of this is a whale beached on Bermondsey Beach being rescued by a Princess Diana lookalike and newly crowned queer icon, and a crumbling Conservative government under Theresa May.
There's a lot going on in this frenetic-paced novel - perhaps just a few too many characters - but it's full of humanity, humour, love, sex and heartache, and it's hard not to get swept along with it. While very different, its atmospheric chaos and vibrancy reminded me of Brick Lane by Monica Ali and White Teeth by Zadie Smith. If you love a hot city summer novel, you've just found your dream book. 4/5 ⭐️
June 2, 2024
I really wanted to like this book. There were little morsels of greatness, but overall I just hated the way they were packaged. The exposition is so clunky in the way it introduces a million characters with very little differentiation. Once you’re established in the story, everyone just feels like a bunch of complainers. Not understanding the hype here.
January 29, 2024
literally a perfect novel
August 23, 2024
I really liked this. Propulsive, queer, messy, sweaty, beautifully written, exploring deep humanity and longing across a kaleidoscope of different characters. Obsessed with the whale as a metaphor.
My only issue is that the main gay male character is boyfriend-pilled (obsessed with a man, stalking a man, every thought and desire is about this one guy) and his ending felt a little precious, twee to the point of parody. Everything else was fantastic.
My only issue is that the main gay male character is boyfriend-pilled (obsessed with a man, stalking a man, every thought and desire is about this one guy) and his ending felt a little precious, twee to the point of parody. Everything else was fantastic.
August 10, 2024
SUCH an easy 5 stars oh my god. What a debut! Full review soon.
Thank you so much to 4th Estate for my (signed!!) proof copy 💛
Thank you so much to 4th Estate for my (signed!!) proof copy 💛
July 7, 2024
Remember when every new Thriller to hit the market was “for fans of Gone Girl?” And, y’know, none of them measured up to or even actually had much in common with Gone Girl? We have the same problem now in the New Adult/Lit Fic adjacent space with Sally Rooney. This did not remind me of Rooney’s work. It lacks the compelling hyperfocus and the characters who you deeply want to invest in.
I don’t have any issue with the writing here, which ranges from perfectly fine to quite sharp at various points in the book. But the story is nothing new, the characters are difficult to connect with in any meaningful way, and their relationship dynamics fail to intrigue. Mostly it just isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, nor is it presented in such an exceptional way that this doesn’t matter.
I wanted to be interested in the whale in the Thames component of this if nothing else. After all, what’s a more powerful symbol throughout the history of literature than a whale? But the story doesn’t manage to put anything like that together here. McKenna has talent as a writer, but the storytelling needs a lot of work.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
I don’t have any issue with the writing here, which ranges from perfectly fine to quite sharp at various points in the book. But the story is nothing new, the characters are difficult to connect with in any meaningful way, and their relationship dynamics fail to intrigue. Mostly it just isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, nor is it presented in such an exceptional way that this doesn’t matter.
I wanted to be interested in the whale in the Thames component of this if nothing else. After all, what’s a more powerful symbol throughout the history of literature than a whale? But the story doesn’t manage to put anything like that together here. McKenna has talent as a writer, but the storytelling needs a lot of work.
*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
May 10, 2024
It’s 2019 and there’s a heatwave in London and a whale stuck in the Thames. With all eyes on the weekend, Evenings and Weekends is set across a blistering two days that see a group of intertwined lives reach boiling point. Maggie is 30, pregnant, and broke, wrestling with the idea of leaving the city and settling in her hometown with longterm boyfriend, Ed. Ed, a courier, is struggling with his own long kept secrets, and it has everything to do with Maggie’s best friend, Phil. Phil, whose mum is ill – not that he knows it yet – and who’s in love with his housemate, Keith – not that he’ll admit it yet – has his own traumas haunting him and that prevents him from asking for what he wants most.
As Evenings and Weekends simmers to its fever pitch, Oisín McKenna captures queer desire, fluidity, and all the ways the city gets under our skin and becomes a part of us in his sultry and simmering debut. He does so while creating an ensemble of characters that seemingly become a part of the fabric of our own lives. That, and the looming, overarching character of London, captured in all its humid grit. Because truly what is better than London? London in the summertime.
I loved this book. From the closeness of the city at its peak to the switching perspectives that allowed us to truly know every part of these characters, from their pasts to their current woes.
My favourite was Rosaleen, mother to Callum and Phil, struggling to be true to herself while preparing to stare death in the face. She reflects on her time in Ireland, her friend Pauline, and the never far away edge of Catholic guilt.
There was so much here that was just stunning. There was a real celebration of queerness and an openness in the relationships that were explored. I could’ve read about these characters for a lot longer, but the slice of them gasping through the heatwave was sublime.
As Evenings and Weekends simmers to its fever pitch, Oisín McKenna captures queer desire, fluidity, and all the ways the city gets under our skin and becomes a part of us in his sultry and simmering debut. He does so while creating an ensemble of characters that seemingly become a part of the fabric of our own lives. That, and the looming, overarching character of London, captured in all its humid grit. Because truly what is better than London? London in the summertime.
I loved this book. From the closeness of the city at its peak to the switching perspectives that allowed us to truly know every part of these characters, from their pasts to their current woes.
My favourite was Rosaleen, mother to Callum and Phil, struggling to be true to herself while preparing to stare death in the face. She reflects on her time in Ireland, her friend Pauline, and the never far away edge of Catholic guilt.
There was so much here that was just stunning. There was a real celebration of queerness and an openness in the relationships that were explored. I could’ve read about these characters for a lot longer, but the slice of them gasping through the heatwave was sublime.
May 30, 2024
“But most goodbyes are small. They take place in the middle of stations and shopping centres, where there's too much going on to really focus on the goodbye at all, distracted by the counter-terrorism alerts blaring from the station loudspeakers, and the queue for Greggs that snakes through the concourse.”
The characters are so chaotic and I absolutely love them and CARE SO MUCH about them!!! I wish I could just text them to see how they are doing. Made me long for summer in London.
The characters are so chaotic and I absolutely love them and CARE SO MUCH about them!!! I wish I could just text them to see how they are doing. Made me long for summer in London.
August 22, 2024
This was decent. The plot was okay & the characters had depth, but I didn’t feel much connection to them. I did not enjoy the mass amounts of POVs & characters & felt some pieces could have been completely omitted. Not bad but not my favorite.
August 19, 2024
I'm going to say it: writing about sex, drugs and queerness doesn't make your story interesting. I felt this book wanted to be deep and edgy but honestly I saw no point to it. I kept having flashbacks to working in a hipster coffee shop and all my coworkers talking about how amazing their lives were because of all the hook ups and drugs they were doing. Maybe I just don't get it. Maybe if the characters had been in their early 20s it would have been less frustrating. Honestly I was bored through all of it and all the problems in these people's lives comes from not communicating. Why was it so hard to tell Phil you have cancer but not your alcoholic other son? And why does Tescos get mentioned so often? Is it a metaphor? Is someone upset about the Tesco club card? I don't get it.
Anyway I got excited when I realised the Author is from Drogheda and wondered if he knew Colin.
Also I do owe Chrissy a 13 years late apology. Apparently other people do text like that and I Am sorry.
Anyway I got excited when I realised the Author is from Drogheda and wondered if he knew Colin.
Also I do owe Chrissy a 13 years late apology. Apparently other people do text like that and I Am sorry.
August 5, 2024
Number 1 book of the summer so far. But the day is young.-)
Shelved as 'dnfs'
July 10, 2024DNF at 40%
* this is less sally rooney and more naoise dolan, except without any of the verve or humour of dolan's writing
* it is FAR too internal of a book - there is so little dialogue, and very few scenes that we actually get to see as they unfold
* even when we do get dialogue every line is followed by like three paragraphs of internal monologue, which drove me crazy
* essentially: its just a lot of telling and very little showing
* as a novel it has no warmth or vibrancy at all, its so depressing and all the characters are dissatisfied in a way that makes the book feel one-note and boring
begging publishers to please stop comparing literally any irish author to sally rooney
* this is less sally rooney and more naoise dolan, except without any of the verve or humour of dolan's writing
* it is FAR too internal of a book - there is so little dialogue, and very few scenes that we actually get to see as they unfold
* even when we do get dialogue every line is followed by like three paragraphs of internal monologue, which drove me crazy
* essentially: its just a lot of telling and very little showing
* as a novel it has no warmth or vibrancy at all, its so depressing and all the characters are dissatisfied in a way that makes the book feel one-note and boring
begging publishers to please stop comparing literally any irish author to sally rooney
August 20, 2024
Absolutely ADORED this book. The descriptions and reflections of hot and sticky London are so vivid. Reading it on a hot summers day in the city it feels like you’re there with them, riding the characters’ highs and lows. The relationships within the story are beautiful and complex and perfectly constructed. Honestly such a gorgeous read I want to re-read it straight away!!
July 5, 2024
One of those “Crazy Stupid Love” etc type of movies where all the characters are braided together and come together at the end all at the same wedding, but tender and poignant. The author describes complex feelings in an authoritative way even though they would be probably indescribable to most.
The book doesn’t have secondary flat characters - even those who seemed peripheral to the story were given a voice and became real people (except Kyle but who doesn’t have that person who haven’t seen in decades and becomes more of a story amongst your friends than a fully formed person).
I don’t care about this book’s flaws of which there are probably plenty.
The book doesn’t have secondary flat characters - even those who seemed peripheral to the story were given a voice and became real people (except Kyle but who doesn’t have that person who haven’t seen in decades and becomes more of a story amongst your friends than a fully formed person).
I don’t care about this book’s flaws of which there are probably plenty.
July 11, 2024
EVENINGS & WEEKENDS is Oisín McKenna's debut novel. It takes place over the course of one single, scorching weekend in London in the summer of 2019, and predominantly follows four characters (Maggie, a pregnant artist set to move out of the city at the end of the weekend; her fiancé, Ed; Phil, Maggie's best friend; and Phil's mother Rosaleen) as their lives become more complicated - and their secrets come to light - in the heat.
I loved this one. It was so, so easy to care about these people and to become invested in their lives and in their relationships to one another. Evenings & Weekends is written in third-person omniscient point of view, which I think is a particularly difficult point of view to write in, but McKenna has done so masterfully. The novel surfaces important points about community, friendship, and belonging, especially in a city as complicated and isolating as London can be, and especially as we are expected to 'grow up.' It made me think deeply about what the 'rest of someone's life' might look like in a world where that timeline is gradually becoming shorter as a result of climate change and political strife.
It also made me think deeply about how intrinsically our identities are woven into our lives, into the way that we navigate them in the places that we live, and in our relationships with other people. In Phil's perspective, we learn that he lives in a sort of queer commune, in a practically-condemned warehouse that no one should really be living in anyway. We learn that he is in an open relationship with a man he loves very much. We also learn that his upbringing as one of the only openly queer children on a council estate in a town forty minutes outside of London has affected him deeply - mostly in the openly queer way that he lives his life, without shame, now.
There were a million tiny revelations laid bare by McKenna in the pages of this book - about things like what we owe to our families; identity, and why we want so desperately to be liked and to feel understood; public transit; cultural and generational guilt; the importance of community and belonging as a young queer person; and how important it is that we continue to foster and nurture that community as we age.
Another reason I loved this book was the way that McKenna makes London itself into one of the characters. It almost felt like being in a messy, complicated relationship with the city - with the people it houses and the many ways it makes someone a creature of habit, but the ways it can surprise them, too:
"Everywhere Ed looks, someone is having the best day of their life, everywhere he looks, there's someone in terrible agony. A bunch of teenage boys lose control of their football on the corner of Ball's Pond Road and a passing man heads it back with spectacular finesse. The boys cheer, the man beams, and Ed thinks: Go on, my son!"
Thank you so, so much to Mariner Books for sending me an early copy - I was so moved by it. If you enjoy the quiet presence of love and joy in Sally Rooney novels, but like to see it more fully realized, I think you will really love this one, too.
Content warnings include: sexual assault, homophobia, abortion, panic attacks, bullying, cancer, suicidal thoughts.
I loved this one. It was so, so easy to care about these people and to become invested in their lives and in their relationships to one another. Evenings & Weekends is written in third-person omniscient point of view, which I think is a particularly difficult point of view to write in, but McKenna has done so masterfully. The novel surfaces important points about community, friendship, and belonging, especially in a city as complicated and isolating as London can be, and especially as we are expected to 'grow up.' It made me think deeply about what the 'rest of someone's life' might look like in a world where that timeline is gradually becoming shorter as a result of climate change and political strife.
It also made me think deeply about how intrinsically our identities are woven into our lives, into the way that we navigate them in the places that we live, and in our relationships with other people. In Phil's perspective, we learn that he lives in a sort of queer commune, in a practically-condemned warehouse that no one should really be living in anyway. We learn that he is in an open relationship with a man he loves very much. We also learn that his upbringing as one of the only openly queer children on a council estate in a town forty minutes outside of London has affected him deeply - mostly in the openly queer way that he lives his life, without shame, now.
There were a million tiny revelations laid bare by McKenna in the pages of this book - about things like what we owe to our families; identity, and why we want so desperately to be liked and to feel understood; public transit; cultural and generational guilt; the importance of community and belonging as a young queer person; and how important it is that we continue to foster and nurture that community as we age.
Another reason I loved this book was the way that McKenna makes London itself into one of the characters. It almost felt like being in a messy, complicated relationship with the city - with the people it houses and the many ways it makes someone a creature of habit, but the ways it can surprise them, too:
"Everywhere Ed looks, someone is having the best day of their life, everywhere he looks, there's someone in terrible agony. A bunch of teenage boys lose control of their football on the corner of Ball's Pond Road and a passing man heads it back with spectacular finesse. The boys cheer, the man beams, and Ed thinks: Go on, my son!"
Thank you so, so much to Mariner Books for sending me an early copy - I was so moved by it. If you enjoy the quiet presence of love and joy in Sally Rooney novels, but like to see it more fully realized, I think you will really love this one, too.
Content warnings include: sexual assault, homophobia, abortion, panic attacks, bullying, cancer, suicidal thoughts.
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