“She is a natural storyteller, knowing when to withhold or indulge. Her writing is understated and precise, full of cadence.” Irish Times
As schoolgirls, Justine and her best friend Iseult dreamed of a future that revolved around marriage. It was the biggest decision of their lives and yet they made it so lightly it was barely a decision at all. Coming up to fifty, they’re still best friends. Justine has been married to Iseult’s brother for twenty-five years and lives in her childhood home. Iseult has spent her adult life abroad, her marriage unhappy for reasons she won’t discuss. When Justine’s daughter announces her engagement, Justine suddenly finds herself questioning the choices she and Iseult made decades earlier.
Kathleen MacMahon is a writer and former RTÉ radio and television journalist. Other People’s Lives is her fifth novel. Her debut, This is How it Ends , spent five weeks at the top of the bestseller lists in Ireland, and was a Richard and Judy Book Club choice in the UK. It was followed by The Long, Hot Summer , also a bestseller in Ireland, and Nothing But Blue Sky , which was nominated for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2021.
In conversation with radio and television broadcaster Áine Lawlor.