We meet some of the characters from his last novel Strange Flowers (which I absolutely loved) again, venturing further and elsewhere into this world that Ryan had already conjured, and this novel adapts the same beautiful, almost timeless or folkloric writing style, rendering many of the passages dreamlike. Both the deep love and the shattering heartbreak in his writing are palpable and enveloping, reaching out from the pages and tugging at our heartstrings he creates a world that draws us in so completely. Ryan’s characters feel so deeply, and feel so deeply for each other. It’s not all women though we also follow the kindnesses and misadventures of Uncles Chris and Paudie as they, often clumsily, try to make their way in the world.

It’s these strong-willed, stubborn women that bring Saoirse up in the world, and Nana in particular who guides her on her way, as we follow her trials and tribulations growing up. They are women who do things their own way, and don’t apologise for it Ryan conjures a vivid picture of Eileen, as a woman who smokes, wears sunglasses and wears her hair long, setting her apart from her peers of the time while Nana is sharply opinionated, equal parts wisecracks and wisdom. In Saoirse, her mother Eileen, and her paternal grandmother Mary (Nana), Ryan has created formidable and joyous characters, the two older women in particular. These are women who have known heartbreak, tragedy and judgement, and yet they love so fiercely, fight on in life, and hold each other up and it’s this bustling household, full of shouting and cursing but also laughter, and brimming with love, which lies at the heart of this story. The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan is a tender and poignant multigenerational story about the Aylward women from a small, rural village in Co.

The queen of dirt island