Lauren Mackenzie The Couples

€12.50

Code 9781399809450
Add to Basket
Description

Binding: Paperback

Date Published: 06 Jun 2024

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SUNDAY INDEPENDENT NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR AWARD

'Humorous, deeply emotional and unputdownable' Sunday Independent, Best Novels of 2023

'A blockbuster in waiting' Donal Ryan, author of The Queen of Dirt Island

'Normal People for married people' Irish Times

Eva looked out the attic window of their charming guest house and watched the sun rise. She thought she might be sick. Splayed on the lawn below was Frank, apparently out cold. Her husband snored in the bed behind her. She loved Shay, of course she did, but right now the only person she wanted to think about was Conor. She didn't want to think about Bea or Lizzie or what Lizzie might have got up to with Shay.

Frank's 48th birthday had given the three couples an excuse for a much needed night away from children, nagging bills and ailing parents. The drink flowed, life in Dublin with all its stress felt a long way away. When Frank proposed they swap partners, it felt deliciously, irresistibly reckless. One night. No obligations. No expectations. All the women had to do was text a man of their choice.

The only rule? No falling in love.

It was a night that some of them couldn't remember. And others couldn't forget.

About the Author

Lauren Mackenzie grew up in Sydney, Australia but now lives in Dublin with her family. After a long career as a screenwriter and editor in film and television, she returned to fiction in 2017, completing an MA in Creative Writing in UCD. She was shortlisted for Cuirt New Writing Prize, Hennessy New Irish Writing, and Fish Short Story Prize. She has been published in The Stinging Fly, The Moth, Banshee, the Irish Times, and The Lonely Crowd among others. Recently she was awarded Literature Bursaries by the Arts Council of Ireland and in 2021, her novel, The Couples, was a joint winner of the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair 2021.

Delivery Info

We provide FREE delivery in the Republic of Ireland when you spend €49 or more. 

FREE Click & Collect from The Ennis Bookshop. You will not be charged for this service.  We are happy to arrange Delivery outside Ireland. Please e-mail us at enquiries@ennisbookshop.ie for more information. 

Find out more about our Delivery & Collection services

Returns Policy

We want you to be completely satisfied with your order and we would hope to resolve any problems you may have. If you are unhappy with your purchase, we will exchange or refund the item or issue a credit note, providing the goods are not damaged and all packaging is still intact.

Terms and conditions apply.

Please view our full Returns Policy for further information.

Click to view complete product details

'The Couples deals with relations between a group of middle-class, mid-lifer friends and the long-lasting effects of one ill-judged, hazy incident. It's humorous, deeply emotional and . . . unputdownable.'
- Sunday Independent Best Novels of 2023

'Fresh and stylish . . . a diverting, grown-up story about how the fear of regret and yearning for former selves can make people do rash things, for which there are always consequences'
- Irish Times

'What a devilishly delicious read about six fascinating and flawed people and their imperfect relationships, their vulnerabilities and betrayals. Empathetic, entertaining and enthralling'
- Liz Nugent

'I adored this funny family drama from the first page to the last'
- Irish Examiner

'I loved this Dublin-set love tangle . . . Sympathetic to the strains and temptations of modern marriage, this story also reveals the destructive consequences of selfishness'
- Daily Mail

'A must have for your holiday suitcase'
- Galway Now

'A great concept . . . the perils of having your cake and eating it'
- Heat

'A brilliant novel, perceptive and precise on the intricacies of human relationships, the burdens we place on ourselves and each other, the mad dances we do around love, obligation, impulse and desire. A blockbuster in waiting.'
- Donal Ryan, author of The Queen of Dirt Islans

'I adored The Couples! A nuanced and entertaining novel of keenly observed relationships that gripped me from start to finish. Stunning! Lauren Mackenzie is a writer of tremendous talent'
- Danielle McLaughlin, author of The Art of Falling

Close

POP-IN HTML goes here

Close

Your Basket

Your basket is currently empty