The Home Scar
From the Women's Prize-longlisted author of Nothing But Blue Sky
Published on 9. February 2023
336 pages
978-1-84488-600-5 (ISBN)
Description
"MacMahon writes with such beautiful simplicity, conjuring real and complex people straight off the page ... subtle and authentic" - Claire Fuller
On opposite sides of the world, half-siblings Cassie and Christo have built their lives around work, intent on ignoring their painful past.
When a dramatic storm in Galway hits the headlines, they're drawn back there to revisit a glorious childhood summer, the last before their mother died. But their journey uncovers memories of a far less happy summer - one that had tragic consequences.
Confronted with the havoc their mother left in her wake, Cassie and Christo are forced to face their past and - ready or not - to deal with the messy tangle of parental love and neglect that shaped them.
The Home Scar is a luminous and precise story about the inheritance of loss and the possibility of finally making peace with it.
_________
"Her beautifully simple style belies psychological complexity ... and her tone is wryly accepting" - Big Issue
"Quiet and bleakly beautiful ... like the siblings and Ireland, it will leave a permanent mark on those who venture into its depths" - Buzz
"Picks at the wounds only a mother can inflict ... ambitious ... intricate" - Sunday Independent
"An exceptional novel about a brother and sister returning to the west of Ireland and to a summer of their past." - Anne Griffin, Sunday Independent
"A powerful story about legacy and loss and the possibility of reconciliation" - Irish Times
On opposite sides of the world, half-siblings Cassie and Christo have built their lives around work, intent on ignoring their painful past.
When a dramatic storm in Galway hits the headlines, they're drawn back there to revisit a glorious childhood summer, the last before their mother died. But their journey uncovers memories of a far less happy summer - one that had tragic consequences.
Confronted with the havoc their mother left in her wake, Cassie and Christo are forced to face their past and - ready or not - to deal with the messy tangle of parental love and neglect that shaped them.
The Home Scar is a luminous and precise story about the inheritance of loss and the possibility of finally making peace with it.
_________
"Her beautifully simple style belies psychological complexity ... and her tone is wryly accepting" - Big Issue
"Quiet and bleakly beautiful ... like the siblings and Ireland, it will leave a permanent mark on those who venture into its depths" - Buzz
"Picks at the wounds only a mother can inflict ... ambitious ... intricate" - Sunday Independent
"An exceptional novel about a brother and sister returning to the west of Ireland and to a summer of their past." - Anne Griffin, Sunday Independent
"A powerful story about legacy and loss and the possibility of reconciliation" - Irish Times
Reviews / Votes
A powerful story about legacy and loss and the possibility of reconciliation * Irish Times * Her beautifully simple style belies psychological complexity . . . and her tone is wryly accepting * Big Issue * Quiet and bleakly beautiful . . . like the siblings and Ireland, it will leave a permanent mark on those who venture into its depths * Buzz * Picks at the wounds only a mother can inflict . . . ambitious . . . intricate * Sunday Independent * An exceptional novel about a brother and sister returning to the west of Ireland and to a summer of their past. -- Anne Griffin * Sunday Independent * MacMahon writes with such beautiful simplicity, conjuring real and complex people straight off the page . . . subtle and authentic -- Claire Fuller Thoughtful, understated . . . it has a quiet power * Irish Independent * Wonderful -- Brendan O'Connor * RTE * A gorgeous story of sibling love. It reads like a psychological adventure story into memory -- Louise Nealon A spell-binding story of inherited grief and the unbreakable bond between siblings as they unpick memories of their shared past . . . [MacMahon's] characters feel authentic and relatable for all their flaws -- Aingeala FlanneryMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Ireland
Publishing group
Penguin Books Ltd
File size
1,59 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-84488-600-5 (9781844886005)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
02/2024
Penguin Books Ltd
€13.00
Available immediately
Person
The Home Scar is Kathleen MacMahon's fourth novel. Her debut, This is How it Ends, spent five weeks at the top of the Irish bestseller chart, and was a Richard and Judy Book Club choice. It was followed by The Long, Hot Summer, also an Irish bestseller, and Nothing But Blue Sky, longlisted for the 2021 Women's Prize for Fiction. Kathleen is a former broadcast journalist. She lives in Dublin with her family.
