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*** SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARDS ***
THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER
‘A compelling and moving story, expertly told, that will draw you in and keep you in its grip until the last page.’ DAILY EXPRESS
‘Magnificent … his writing is evocative and perfect. His grasp of human loneliness and longing is beautiful and comforting.’ MARIAN KEYES
‘Atmospheric, creepy and impossible to put down.’ the TIMES
‘I raved about Holding two years ago … A Keeper is even better. A powerful, very sad story, beautiful writing, two time frames that are perfectly balanced. Outstanding. Will easily be one of my books of 2018.’ JOHN BOYNE
‘A gripping, thoughtful tale about the search for identity, belonging and self-possession.’ OBSERVER
‘Moving and darkly funny.’ GOOD HOUSEKEEPING
‘Smart, well-written and thoroughly entertaining.’ IRISH INDEPENDENT
‘It’s a sad and lovely book, brimful of tenderness and compassion, where the revelations of the past upturn the perceptions of the present.’ SUNDAY EXPRESS
‘Charming and tender, a complete joy.’ SUNDAY MIRROR
‘Perfectly crafted, a beautiful, gripping account of Irish memory and deceit. A terrific achievement.’ ANDREW O’HAGAN
From the bestselling author of Holding comes a masterly tale of secrets and ill-fated loves set on the coast of Ireland.
Dear Lonely Leinster Lady, I’m not really sure how to begin . . .
The truth drifts out to sea, riding the waves out of sight.
And then the tide turns. Elizabeth Keane returns to Ireland after her mother’s death, intent only on wrapping up that dismal part of her life. There is nothing here for her; she wonders if there ever was.
The house of her childhood is stuffed full of useless things, her mother’s presence already fading. And perhaps, had she not found the small stash of letters, the truth would never have come to light. 40 years earlier, a young woman stumbles from a remote stone house, the night quiet but for the tireless wind that circles her as she hurries further into the darkness away from the cliffs and the sea.
She has no sense of where she is going, only that she must keep on.
This compelling new novel confirms Graham Norton’s status as a fresh, literary voice, bringing his clear-eyed understanding of human nature and its darkest flaws.
Heidi –
I was really pleased to see this in my book bundle. I’d actually never given Graham Norton’s fiction a second thought (despite loving him as a presenter), but reading the blurb on the back of this made me wonder why. This is set across a dual timeline, with Elizabeth in modern day Ireland finding out about her mother’s history in the 70s. But this turns out to be a lot more atmospheric than you think!
Laura Besley –
Wary of the celebrity-turned-novelist, I reluctantly started ‘A Keeper’ (Coronet, 2018) by Graham Norton. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The characters were well-drawn, the plot was not in any way predictable and the prose was efficient, yet evocative. There was an underlying creepiness to the narrative which, aided by a dual timeline, fed into the overall effect of the book being a page-turner. A recommended read.