he Glorious Heresies is an in-your-face, no-holds-barred, riot of a novel. Alcohol, drugs, sex, foul language, violence, murder, gangs..... it’s all there, totally full on. ⁣Set in Cork post-Celtic Tiger, the story centres on drug-dealing Junior Cert student Ryan, eldest son of Tony Cusack who is a violent, alcoholic loser. Tony gets asked for a favour by a local gangster, JP, whose mother Maureen has just gone and bashed an intruders head in (by accident). JP wants Tony to help him get rid of the body, and so begins a chain of events that has far reaching consequences for Tony, Ryan, Maureen and several others.⁣

⁣I loved how McInerney moved the plot along at a quick pace, never allowing the book to become drawn out or repetitive. Her sense of humour is razor sharp with several laugh out loud moments in what is really a very dour story. Her imagery and turn of phrase is very unique and really pleasing for the reader; ‘Faces like bags of triangles and eyes like buttons on sticks’. Love it!⁣

⁣McInerney’s characters just jump off the page, they are all extremely individual and well defined, and they felt like real people to me. And if the plot becomes a bit far fetched here and there, sure who would complain when there is so much to admire and enjoy in this novel. I can see why it won the 2016 Women’s Prize.⁣