Belinda McKeon

Winner of the Geoffrey Faber Memorial PrizeWinner of the Sunday Independent Best Newcomer AwardBord Gáis Energy Irish Book of the YearSolace by Belinda McKeon is a dazzling story of love, family and divided loyalties. Mark Casey did not expect to fall in love. But from the minute he saw Joanne Lynch across the garden of a Dublin pub, it seemed that nothing else was possible. But Mark is also drawn back – guiltily – to his family and the land they have farmed for generations, and when he discovers the truth behind a family feud, it threatens to destroy this passionate love affair. ‘A novel of quiet power, filled with moments of carefully told truth’ - Colm Tóibín, author of Long Island‘Elegant, consuming and richly inspired. Superb’ - Colum McCann, author of ApeirogonPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.

‘Gripping, completely compelling . . . A sublime talent’ – Donal Ryan, author of The Spinning Heart‘Captures what it is like to be young in Dublin with grace, subtlety and sympathy’ – Colm Tóibín, author of Long IslandCatherine and James are as close as two friends could ever be. Witty, talented and charming, James is unlike anyone Catherine has encountered before, and she finds herself hungry to explore with him all that Dublin in the ‘90s has to offer – even as James struggles to find his place in it. But as their connection intensifies, Catherine discovers that there’s a fine line between longing and love, friendship and obsession . . . From the author of the multi-award-winning debut Solace, Tender by Belinda McKeon is a dazzling exploration of the complexities of sexuality and human relationships, a novel about friendship and youth, about selfhood, about the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we are taught to tell. ‘A superb and sophisticated writer’ – The Times‘Richly nuanced and utterly absorbing’ – The GuardianPart of the Picador Collection, a series showcasing the best of modern literature.