The award-winning author on her bedside locker stash …
Louise O’Neill’s new novel, Whatever Happened to Madeline Stone? (Bantam, €16.99) is the story of the Stone twin sisters, and examines the cost of being a child star. O’Neill’s debut novel Only Ever Yours, won multiple awards, while her second, Asking For It, spent 52 consecutive weeks in the Irish top ten. Her memoir, A Bigger Life, will be published this autumn.
“The To Be Read pile on my bedside locker is a constantly shifting stack of good intentions. I’ve always been a voracious reader, but it’s taken a bit of a hit this year while I’ve been writing and editing two books at once. By the time evening rolls around, my brain is usually too tangled in my own words to absorb someone else’s! But reading has always been one of the reliable ways to quieten my busy mind, and I’m looking forward to getting back to normal service once things settle.
“Recently I finished Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu. It’s a gothic novella written in the 1870s about a young woman whose mysterious companion is not all she seems. I went to see two stage adaptions of Dracula in London this year, so a friend surprised me with a copy of this. To my shame, I had never heard of it before but it predates Bram Stoker’s Dracula by 25 years and is credited with popularising the lesbian vampire trope. It’s eerie and atmospheric and still feels surprisingly modern. Beside it is Lost Lambs by Madeline Cash. There has been so much hype about this book and it’s one of the rare times that something not only lives up to its reputation but exceeds it. It’s sharp and clever, the writing is beautiful, and it made me laugh out loud countless times.
“Most recently I picked up Good People by Patmeena Sabit. Told through a variety of perspectives, this gripping book follows a “good immigrant” family. The Sharafs are the picture of success until the unthinkable happens and they are thrust into the court of public opinion. It’s a powerful exploration of identity, community and the stories we choose to believe. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since.” @oneilllou
