Trespasses by Louise Kennedy was the @tiredmammybookclub January book. Unfortunately I didn’t make it to the Zoom, so missed the chats on this one!

The Story 📚
Set in Northern Ireland during the time of the Troubles, we meet Cushla - a young Catholic, primary school teacher. In her family’s bar, Cushla meets Michael, an older, married, Protestant man. The pair begin to develop a relationship, as we follow the events that follow and how Cushla’s environment impacts her daily life. 

The Review 👩🏻‍💻
I really wanted to give this book a higher rating, but I didn’t enjoy the love story - and realistically it’s the main plot of the book. Honestly it gave me the ick! I really felt like there was no chemistry between Cushla and Michael. The large age gap, and how Michael treated Cushla, I just found it all a bit weird and unenjoyable as the main plot. Maybe we weren’t supposed to enjoy it, but it took away from the book for me. 

That being said, I loved the book otherwise, and would have preferred more time spent on the subplots. The descriptions of life in the North during the Troubles were incredible. I felt like I was there in each moment. Horrible events which the author bluntly and brutally depicts, constantly lurking in the background of every aspect of Cushla’s life. 

The other characters in the novel were brilliant, especially Davy! The relationship Cushla formed with Davy and his family was equally special and complex. Also the dynamic between Cushla’s immediate family, and her relationship with her coworker Gerry. 

I recently bought Kennedy’s book The End of the World is a Cul de Sac when I found it on sale in a bookstore here in Copenhagen. Really looking forward to reading it as I enjoyed her writing style.