Trespasses by Louise Kennedy was covered in my Fall Book Preview, where I share a curated list of the season’s hottest new titles including the books I’ve most enjoyed, the ones I’m most looking forward to reading, and the ones the industry is most excited about.
Our Fall Book Preview event is exclusively for members of our MMD Book Club community and What Should I Read Next Patreon “Book Lover” supporters. Our communities will also receive a printable of all the picks with Trespasses' publishing info and release date included.

Wow I really really loved this story of forbidden love and the IRA and smoke-filled rooms. This is going to be one of my faves of the year for sure. If this wasn't on your radar before, it should be now! So good.

I truly have mixed feelings about Louise Kennedy's novel, Trespasses. One on hand, the setting was like nothing else I've read before... "The Troubles" in 1970s Northern Ireland are not a time period that I know much about. The author's writing was breathtaking and drew you in. It was dreamy and compelling, even though her lack of punctuation drove me a little nuts at times. Cushla's heart was inspiring, as she sought to care for her family and her students (especially little Davy) in the worst of circumstances. On the other hand though, the forbidden romance that Cushla engages in with Michael was just personally too much for me. He was just... not great, and for whatever reason I didn't buy their love story so that part of the book fell flat for me.

All in all, while I enjoyed the place and the time of this book, particularly learning more about this period of history, I had trouble engaging with the romance element of Trespasses. It was quiet, and slow, yet engaging... I just expected more.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced ebook copy. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. This review is solely my own and all opinions expressed are mine.
This is an historical fiction unlike most that are served up to the American reader, as it’s a snapshot in time during “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland. Growing up in Boston and being of Irish descent, I heard the news of this time often. I was aware, even as a young child, of the animosity between Protestants and Catholics in Northern Ireland, and of the struggles of the population wanting a free and complete Ireland. Nation.
Because of this, none of this was a surprise to me, but it might be to many more. For me, it read like letters from home, the family relationships, the kindnesses of neighbors, and the pints at the bar. I also recognized the wariness of distrust between groups, looking over one’s shoulder and being alert for trouble.
I read the book in a day, which I hardly do. I was pulled into the book by way of little Dave’s and his family, but also enjoyed the illicit romance and the ultimate destruction of all of the relationships because of one horrible act. How swiftly lives can change.
There is language and some sex scenes but otherwise I would recommend this to my patrons who are historical fiction fans.
4*

Set in Northern Ireland during the Troubles, this novel builds slowly, and the writing is lovely, though detached—a stylistic choice, I think, not a flaw. For as much turmoil surrounds the characters, the novel is quiet until its final quarter, when it erupts and propels itself to the final pages.

I don’t often have much patience for a love story between a very young woman and a much older man, but this novel is exceptional in its character development and execution, and I was happy to be swept up in their romance.

A forbidden romance set against the backdrop of The Troubles in Northern Ireland in the seventies--where one young woman's altruistic desires to help one of her students leads to unthinkable consequences. Kennedy perfectly captures Cushla's longing for a man that should be off-limits to her--one who is not only married but Protestant.

There were so many times I stopped reading to re-read one line over and over again, as she used the simplest language to convey so much that I felt like I had been punched in the stomach:

"Ok, she said, because it was all he was offering."

Life goes on, even in the midst of daily bombings and raids and an inescapable police presence. People fall in love, battle alcoholism, lose their parents to illness, all with the backdrop of a nation divided.

Kennedy (rightly) doesn't hold anyone's hand when it comes to Irish slang or history, so if you're interested in The Troubles, Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe is a masterwork.

A fantastic debut novel, Trespasses is set in the mid 70's in Northern Ireland during the Troubles. Louise Kennedy has done an amazing job of creating a real and vivid window into the lives of those living in fear.

Cushla is a grade 3 teacher by day, bartender at her family's pub at night. She lives at home, near Belfast and lives a very, very quiet life. That is, until one day when she meets Michael - a lawyer who is defending members of the IRA. Michael is older and Protestant and everything Cushla is not. Should she trespass into his world?

There is so much sadness in this story, from Cushla's alcoholic mother, the school day and the treatment of the students by the priests to the truly shocking violence that becomes and every day occurrence. The writing is beautiful and I certainly love learning while I read.

If you love family dramas, Irish stories or just want a thrilling love story that can only end in disaster then Trespasses is for you!
#Penguin #LouiseKennedy #Trespasses

It took me a few months to actually finish this. There wasn't any sort of plot point that felt like it was pulling me back. It's descriptive and well-written, just quiet and slow-paced.

ok i did not expect to like this one as much as i did!! i went into it a lil hesitantly because i have read so many novels lately where the crux of the plot is younger woman in a relationship with a (sometimes married) older man!!! trespasses is about that, but it’s really not (v eloquent of me). i learned so much about the setting, ireland during the troubles in the 70’s, and the conflicts prominent within it. it is about the relationship between cushla and michael, but through the examination of their relationship the novel is actually examining class relations, as well as the protestant/catholic relations at the time, and the struggle of caring about someone who reminds you of everyone who oppresses you. the writing was tender and heart wrenching and gorgeous. trespasses exceeded my expectations by far thank you so much riverhead for the copy!

Incredibly thought provoking fiction here. Her characters are so well drawn out, that I truly felt like I was living the narrative alongside them. The writing is beautiful, and evocative and makes the pages fly, Can't wait to sell this!

I found this to be a well-written, quiet build of suspense and drama. The characters brought out both the best and worst in each other. This was very different than other books I've read about the Troubles in Northern Ireland but it was the perfect setting for this story. What you think is political is just the quiet build of love and lies and betrayal. I thought the writing was superb and kept me engaged the entire time.

3 1/2 stars

Trespasses is a beautiful book. I especially enjoyed it because its set at a time and in a place that I don't really often read about, and after reading this book I'm not sure why.

Set during the Troubles in Northern Ireland, it gives an unflinching look at the dangers of living in a part of Ireland so torn apart. The story sets forth a number of situations and actions observed and experienced by the characters that are seemingly innocuous or unconnected, but when the story reaches its conclusion, you can see how, in small ways, the dots can be connected and that puts so many people in danger.

The book, for me, was sometimes hard to follow in the sense that I kept forgetting who was catholic and who was protestant. This is an important distinction, given the political and religious climate of the time, and because it informs the dangers surrounding each character. Kennedy writs in what I would call a very "vague" fashion, meaning she doesn't come right out at any given point and say "this is character A; they are this this and this and their religion is this." Instead, all the details about a character and/or their family are largely inferred and highlighted by the things SAID about them by other characters. I find this style very interesting, but at times a little difficult to remember who is what and aligned with whom. It does, however, get easier the further into the story you go.

I'd say that this book really sings about 3/4 of the way through. This is NOT to say that the beginning isn't good; its good, its important, but when a certain event happens everything begins to spiral out of control and all the small things that might have seemed innocuous in the beginning, take on new meaning.

It wasn't until this event that Cushla, our protagonist, is finally thrust into the forefront of what is happening in her country. Every danger we've read about, heard about on the news, suddenly becomes more sinister. The fallout from this event, and her affair, become crystal clear and the way in which it affects everyone we've read about from the beginning, is breathtaking. The only reason I rate this book lower than maybe i'd like is because it takes a good deal of time to get to THIS point, to the point that I think is the most moving and important part. But you HAVE TO go through the beginning to get the payoff we deserve.