In Heidelberg, Germany, over the course of a hot week in July, two gentle souls begin a prelude to love, testing the pull of romance against the weight of their family histories.

After fifteen years in a relationship with a man she did not love, Ute Pfeiffer has returned from Ireland to find her father, Julius, in decline and her mother, Christa, more distant than ever. The last thing she needs is to fall for another Irishman. But when she sees Seanie Donnellan driving over a hen in her parents' yard, something seems to shift in her cautious heart.

Ute has given up on love and Seanie has never really known it. He also knows nothing of her family's unspoken history during the war, nor how Ute muted this sadness with a sheltered life that she hated. But Seanie is a strange and charming young man with emotional aches of his own, confounding all of her expectations and daring her to hope for the first time.

As her father returns to a kind of childhood, and her mother's longing spills over in the revelation of a family secret, Ute must decide if falling in love is something that happens to other people or if it's a choice only she can make.

About the Author

Andrew Meehan's debut novel One Star Awake was longlisted for the 2018 Desmond Elliott Prize, the UK's most prestigious award for debut novelists. His second book, The Mystery of Love, a moving and unique reimagining of the relationship between Oscar and Constance Wilde, was published in 2020. Andrew was born in Dublin and lives in Glasgow. @AndrewMeehanEsq

Reviews

Polished prose and soulful characters make this an absorbing and interesting read.

-- Justine Carbery * Sunday Independent *

"...a wonderful read; a strange but compelling story written with great lyricism and insight."

* Irish Examiner *

Reflective and languid and funny and beautifully wrought, this is an unconventional and sometimes a fraught and uneasy love story. Meehan's writing is luminous.

-- Anne Cunningham * The Meath Chronicle *



Book Information
ISBN 9781848408364
Author Andrew Meehan
Format Paperback
Page Count 308
Imprint New Island Books
Publisher New Island Books
Weight(grams) 390g
Dimensions(mm) 215mm * 135mm * 22mm