The last great book I read . . . an early proof of debut novelist Alan Murrins The Coast Road about women in 90s Ireland negotiating the complexities of marriage in a country where divorce is illegal. It will no doubt be a bestseller.--actor Gillian Anderson A poignant debut novel about the lives of women set in a claustrophobic coast town. How can they find independence in a society that seeks to limit it? Set in 1994 The Coast Road tells the story of two women--Izzy Keaveney a housewife and Colette Crowley a poet. Colette has left her husband and sons for a married man in Dublin. When she returns to her home in County Donegal to try to pick up the pieces of her old life her husband Shaun a successful businessman denies her access to her children. The only way she can see them is with the help of neighbor Izzy acting as a go-between. Izzy also feels caught in a troubled marriage. Their friendship that develops between them will ultimately lead to tragedy for one and freedom for the other. Addictive as Big Little Lies with a depth and compassion that rivals the works of Claire Keegan Elizabeth Strout and Colm Toibin The Coast Road is a story about the limits placed on womens lives in Ireland only a generation ago and the consequences women have suffered trying to gain independence. Award-winning Irish author Alan Murrin reminds us of the price we are forced to pay to find freedom.
