A satire on the dark side of reality television, an essential toolkit for navigating dementia, and an illustrated collection of murder ballads as a music genre are among the exciting new books being published this July.
Oddbody, by Rose Keating
1 July, Simon & Schuster
Waterford writer Rose Keating’s debut short story collection delves into the weirdness of bodies and of existence itself through the voices of social outsiders and outcasts.
Taking readers on a bold journey through the intricacies of sex, shame, and womanhood, these ten enchanting short stories are an emotional masterpiece, challenging us to reflect on the movement and needs of our bodies. Strange yet utterly mesmerizing, Oddbody is a provocative exploration that feels both surprising and sincerely authentic.
The Compound, by Aisling Rawle
3 July, The Borough Press
Leitrim-born, Dublin-based author Aisling Rawle’s debut novel has been described as ‘Love Island meets Lord of the Flies’, and ‘as bingeable as the best reality TV, with dark undercurrents of literary dystopia and consumerist satire’.
You wake up in a compound in the middle of the desert, along with nine other women. All of you are young, all beautiful, all keen to escape the grinding poverty, political unrest and environmental catastrophe of the outside world. You realise that cameras are tracking your every move, broadcasting to millions of reality TV fans. Soon, ten men will arrive on foot – if they all survive the journey. What will you have to do to win? And what happens to the losers?
The In-Laws, by Sinéad Moriarty
3 July, Sandycove
Irish author Sinéad Moriarty’s novels have sold over 900,000 copies in Ireland and the UK, and her new novel, The In-Laws is a sharp, funny, and relatable novel about surviving the family you didn’t choose.
Amanda, Katie and Melanie are three wildly different women with one big problem: their impossible mother-in-law, Nancy. When an unexpected crisis hits the family business, the sisters-in-law navigate stormy waters. Forced to confront messy truths about marriage, motherhood, succession and family loyalty, the three women soon realize their greatest strength might just be each other.
Murder Ballads, by Katy Horan
3 July, Andrews McMeel Publishing
In this unique, illustrated collection, Literary Witches co-creator Katy Horan unearths the true and fictional stories behind twenty traditional murder ballads, exploring the beauty and horror of the art form through stories, lyrics, and original illustrations.
Murder Ballads is a guide to the origins and cultural impact of murder ballads as a music genre, covering its roots in patriarchal violence and white supremacy, as well as its contemporary relationship to true crime. It contains a foreword penned by Sinéad Gleeson.
Selfish Girls, by Abigail Bergstrom
10 July, Hodder & Stoughton
Uninhibited, claustrophobic and emotionally complex, Selfish Girls spans generations, buried resentments, and an unexpected love story. It is a clear-eyed portrait of a dysfunctional family and the pain we inflict on those we love most.
Ines is reluctantly moving home on the edge of a breakdown, her childhood sweetheart in tow. He’s only ever wanted what was best for her. Gwen is elated that her prodigal daughter has returned. Dylan is still licking her wounds from a rejection she can’t forget. And Emma is quietly suffocating in the perfect marriage she wanted so badly.
Notes on infinity, by Austin Taylor
10 July, Michael Joseph
Austin Taylor’s debut novel is an epic love story about two brilliant Harvard students chasing a shared dream, swept up in the chaos of American start-up culture. A powerful, deeply emotional novel about ambition, betrayal, the thrill of early success, and the kind of love that makes us feel untouchable—until it doesn’t.
Though they come from different worlds, Zoe and Jack share a fierce ambition and love for discovery. Soon, they’re not only research partners, but founders of a fast-growing start-up and caught in a romance that feels unstoppable. Then, a shocking accusation against Jack threatens everything: their company, their reputations, and the love they’ve built. Are some dreams too big to come true? And how far would you go to make them real?
The Woman in Suite 11, by Ruth Ware
17 July, Simon & Schuster
The gripping follow-up to Ruth Ware’s bestselling novel, The Woman in Cabin 10—which is coming soon to Netflix, starring Keira Knightley—comes The Woman in Suite 11, with sees Lo Blacklock return to attend the opening of a luxury hotel, only to find herself in a white-knuckled race across Europe.
Lo Blacklock’s all-expenses paid trip to a luxury Swiss chateau should have been the ideal return to work. But as her past catches up with her, the millionaire’s mistress demanding that Lo help her escape, and a body turning up in the room next door, Lo is forced to ask how far she would go to help someone she’s not even sure she can trust.
Still Me, by Sabina Brennan
17 July, Green Tree
Top neuroscientist and bestselling author Dr Sabina Brennan combines her professional knowledge with personal experience of caring for her mother with dementia. With a human-rights approach that validates everyone’s experience and dignity, she offers a self-care plan, practical advice and evidence-based therapies to improve both your and your relative’s quality of life.
Still Me reframes the job of caring for someone with dementia as a partnership. Both you and your loved one deserve respect, support, and access to the latest research to help you on your journey. This is an essential toolkit to navigating dementia, supporting loved ones and caring for yourself.
Necessary Fiction, by Eloghosa Osunde
22 July, Penguin Roundhouse
From the acclaimed author of Vagabonds! comes an audacious and eye-opening exploration of cross-generational queer life in Nigeria. Eloghosa Osunde explored the paths and dreams, hopes and fears of more than two dozen characters who are staking out lives for themselves in contemporary Nigeria.
Across Lagos, Osunde’s characters seek out love for self and their chosen partners, even as they risk ruining relationships with parents, spouses, family, and friends. As the novel unfolds, a rolling cast emerges: vibrantly active, stubbornly alive, brazenly flawed. These characters grapple with desire, fear, time, death, and God, forming and breaking unexpected connections; in the process unveiling how they know each other, have loved each other, and had their hearts broken in that pursuit.
The Short Story, by by Seán Ó Faoláin
22 July, Mercier Press
Blending practical advice with philosophical depth, this vintage gem from the post-war literary renaissance stands as both a practical guide and a passionate defense of authenticity in fiction. For anyone serious about the craft of short stories, O’Faoláin’s candid, sometimes bracingly direct counsel remains as valuable today as when first written.
In this enduring classic, renowned Irish author Seán O’Faoláin offers a penetrating examination of what makes great short fiction work. Drawing from his experience as both a master practitioner and dedicated teacher of the form, Faoláin provides aspiring writers with insights that have remained relevant for over seven decades.
Late Learner, by Ciara Geraghty
31 July, Harper Collins
Bestselling Irish novelist Ciara Geraghty’s new title is tender, laugh-out-loud funny, deeply empathetic and utterly poignant. The story follows Ronda as she cycles back and forth to her job at the local care home and plays chess with a robot in the evenings. At forty-four years old, she is perfectly okay with that. But Ronda has a secret.
In her daydreams she’s fearless – brave, bold and impossible to ignore. So when her comfortable little world suddenly starts to crumble, Ronda has a choice to make. Keep playing it safe on the sidelines? Or finally step into being the person she’s always imagined herself to be?
Doll Parts, by Penny Zang
31 July, Sourcebooks Landmark
Doll Parts follows one woman as she begins to uncover the truth of the death of her estranged best friend and the Sylvia Plath adoring sad girls they attended college with decades ago, all while holding a secret that will slowly unravel her new, suburban dream life. A provocative and irresistible debut, at once an exploration of the dark the chasms that break apart friendships, an ode to the aching beauty of girlhood, and a sharp portrayal of grief that can physically haunt you.
Some stories refuse to stay buried. For best friends Nikki and Sadie, college was supposed to be a fresh start, a way to blast Courtney Love from car speakers and leave their youth behind. But along with sadness-obsessed girls and intrusive professors, a dark story plagues their small all-women’s school: the Sylvia Club, a campus legend surrounding the deaths of multiple Sylvia Plath-adoring students, all written off as suicides.
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