The Coast Road - Alan Murrin

nThe last great book I read... an early proof of debut novelist Alan Murrin's The Coast Road, about women in '90s Ireland negotiating the complexities of marriage in a country where divorce is illegal. It will no doubt be a bestseller.--actor Gillian Andersonn nA poignant debut novel about the lives of women, set in a claustrophobic coast town. How can they find independence in a society that seeks to limit it?n nSet in 1994, The Coast Road tells the story of two women--Izzy Keaveney, a housewife, and Colette Crowley, a poet. Colette has left her husband and sons for a married man in Dublin. When she returns to her home in County Donegal to try to pick up the pieces of her old life, her husband, Shaun, a successful businessman, denies her access to her children.n nThe only way she can see them is with the help of neighbor Izzy, acting as a go-between. Izzy also feels caught in a troubled marriage. Their friendship that develops between them will ultimately lead to tragedy for one, and freedom for the other.n nAddictive as Big Little Lies with a depth and compassion that rivals the works of Claire Keegan, Elizabeth Strout, and Colm Tóibín, The Coast Road is a story about the limits placed on women's lives in Ireland only a generation ago, and the consequences women have suffered trying to gain independence. Award-winning Irish author Alan Murrin reminds us of the price we are forced to pay to find freedom.n