"MacMahon writes with such beautiful simplicity, conjuring real and complex people straight off the page ... subtle and authentic" - Claire Fuller

On opposite sides of the world, half-siblings Cassie and Christo have built their lives around work, intent on ignoring their painful past.

When a dramatic storm in Galway hits the headlines, they're drawn back there to revisit a glorious childhood summer, the last before their mother died. But their journey uncovers memories of a far less happy summer - one that had tragic consequences.

Confronted with the havoc their mother left in her wake, Cassie and Christo are forced to face their past and - ready or not - to deal with the messy tangle of parental love and neglect that shaped them.

The Home Scar is a luminous and precise story about the inheritance of loss and the possibility of finally making peace with it.
_________

"Her beautifully simple style belies psychological complexity ... and her tone is wryly accepting" - Big Issue

"Quiet and bleakly beautiful ... like the siblings and Ireland, it will leave a permanent mark on those who venture into its depths" - Buzz

"Picks at the wounds only a mother can inflict ... ambitious ... intricate" - Sunday Independent

"An exceptional novel about a brother and sister returning to the west of Ireland and to a summer of their past." - Anne Griffin, Sunday Independent

"A powerful story about legacy and loss and the possibility of reconciliation" - Irish Times

About the Author
The Home Scar is Kathleen MacMahon's fourth novel. Her debut, This is How it Ends, spent five weeks at the top of the Irish bestseller chart, and was a Richard and Judy Book Club choice. It was followed by The Long, Hot Summer, also an Irish bestseller, and Nothing But Blue Sky, longlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction. Kathleen is a former broadcast journalist. She lives in Dublin with her family.

Reviews
A powerful story about legacy and loss and the possibility of reconciliation * Irish Times *
Her beautifully simple style belies psychological complexity . . . and her tone is wryly accepting * Big Issue *
Quiet and bleakly beautiful . . . like the siblings and Ireland, it will leave a permanent mark on those who venture into its depths * Buzz *
Picks at the wounds only a mother can inflict . . . ambitious . . . intricate * Sunday Independent *
An exceptional novel about a brother and sister returning to the west of Ireland and to a summer of their past. -- Anne Griffin * Sunday Independent *
MacMahon writes with such beautiful simplicity, conjuring real and complex people straight off the page . . . subtle and authentic -- Claire Fuller
Thoughtful, understated . . . it has a quiet power * Irish Independent *
Wonderful -- Brendan O'Connor * RTE *
A gorgeous story of sibling love. It reads like a psychological adventure story into memory -- Louise Nealon
A spell-binding story of inherited grief and the unbreakable bond between siblings as they unpick memories of their shared past . . . [MacMahon's] characters feel authentic and relatable for all their flaws -- Aingeala Flannery
Such a treat . . . another stunner from Kathleen MacMahon -- Henrietta McKervey
With her usual effortless writing style and ability to make characters pop off the page, [The Home Scar] is a moving read * Woman's Way *
An intriguing, meticulous and generation-spanning story of love, loss and healing -- Ed O'Loughlin
Kathleen MacMahon's subject is memory itself: how we remember - and the impact upon our future lives when our memories deceive us. Compassionate and poignant, The Home Scar is a work of considerable moral power -- Neil Hegarty
A very grown-up novel about life and love, of course, and above all, the repercussions of a disrupted childhood . . . a real tour de force -- Christine Dwyer Hickey
The Home Scar once again displays Kathleen MacMahon's gimlet-eyed understanding of grown-up frailty -- Hilary Fannin
A delight - I loved every word of it -- Catherine Dunne
An understated, powerful read. * Irish Examiner *
[MacMahon's] exploration of connection, to each other and the ones we've lost, is . . . sensitively done and wrapped in the rich storytelling that has made her a notable name in Irish literature * RTE Guide *
A love story to the west of Ireland as much as it is a family mystery, this beautifully written novel will entrance anyone who has memories of childhood holidays spent in the area. -- Liadan Hynes * Sunday Independent *
MacMahon's fourth novel ... is another eloquently written and elegantly shaped novel that lays bare those scars that many of us carry and cover. * RTE Guide *
An exceptional novel by one of Ireland's foremost literary talents. A book not to be missed -- Anne Griffin
One of Ireland's finest twenty-first century writers * Margaret Madden *



Book Information
ISBN 9780241995433
Author Kathleen MacMahon
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Penguin Books Ltd
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Weight(grams) 240g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 130mm * 30mm