
All That I Leave Behind
A powerful, heart-breaking story of family secrets
Alison Walsh(Author)
Hachette Books Ireland (Publisher)
Will be published approx. on 7. January 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
480 pages
978-1-4736-1283-9 (ISBN)
Description
'A powerful story ... Walsh shows an innate understanding of people's lives, and the emotional truths that underpin them' Kathleen MacMahon
It hadn't been Rosie's idea - a 'quaint' wedding at her childhood home in the Irish countryside. Nevertheless she finds herself back in Monasterard after a decade away, with her American fiance on her arm and a smile fixed to her face.
As expected, the welcome from her siblings isn't exactly warm. Mary-Pat, the one who practically raised Rosie, is avoiding her. June is preoccupied with maintaining the illusion of her perfect family. And Pius, who still counts the years since their mother left, is hiding from the world. Each of them is struggling with the weight of things unsaid.
In the end, it's their father who, on the day of Rosie's wedding, exposes what has remained hidden for so long. And as the O'Connor siblings piece together the secrets at the heart of their family, they begin to forgive the woman who abandoned them all those years ago.
It hadn't been Rosie's idea - a 'quaint' wedding at her childhood home in the Irish countryside. Nevertheless she finds herself back in Monasterard after a decade away, with her American fiance on her arm and a smile fixed to her face.
As expected, the welcome from her siblings isn't exactly warm. Mary-Pat, the one who practically raised Rosie, is avoiding her. June is preoccupied with maintaining the illusion of her perfect family. And Pius, who still counts the years since their mother left, is hiding from the world. Each of them is struggling with the weight of things unsaid.
In the end, it's their father who, on the day of Rosie's wedding, exposes what has remained hidden for so long. And as the O'Connor siblings piece together the secrets at the heart of their family, they begin to forgive the woman who abandoned them all those years ago.
Reviews / Votes
A powerful story ... Walsh shows an innate understanding of people's lives, and the emotional truths that underpin them - Kathleen MacMahon, author of This is How it EndsWalsh deftly and sympathetically tackles that taboo subject of the mother who abandons her children ... Beautifully told - Sunday Independent
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Castleknock
Ireland
Product notice
Paperback (UK-B)
Dimensions
Height: 199 mm
Width: 138 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
338 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4736-1283-9 (9781473612839)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
06/2015
Hachette Books Ireland
€14.99
Available for download
Person
Alison Walsh works in book publishing and literary journalism. She is the author of the bestselling memoir In My Mother's Shoes.
All That I Leave Behind is her first novel.
Follow her on Twitter at @authoralison or visit her website at www.alisonwalsh.net
All That I Leave Behind is her first novel.
Follow her on Twitter at @authoralison or visit her website at www.alisonwalsh.net