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Page Turners: ‘Thirst Trap’ author Gráinne O’Hare

Page Turners: ‘Thirst Trap’ author Gráinne O’Hare


by Sarah Gill
13th Jun 2025

Belfast author Gráinne O’Hare talks about writing characters who make mistakes, carving out space for formulating story, and the ins and outs of her debut novel, Thirst Trap.

Hotly tipped as one of the most anticipated Irish releases of the summer, Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’Hare is described as a blazing, bittersweet, bitingly funny, and painfully relatable story about the friendships that endure through the very best and the very worst of times.

Maggie, Harley and Róise are friends on the brink: of triumph, catastrophe, or maybe just finally growing up. Their crumbling Belfast houseshare has been witness to their roaring twenties, filled with questionable one-night stands and ruthless hangovers. But now fault-lines are beginning to show.

The three girls are still grieving the tragic death of their friend, Lydia, whose room remains untouched. Their last big fight hangs heavy over their heads, unspoken since the accident. And now they are all beginning to unravel.

Thirst Trap by Gráinne O'Hare

Did you always want to be a writer? Tell us about your journey to becoming a published author.

I’ve wanted to be an author since I was about twelve. I spent a decade writing genuinely atrocious historical novels before I pivoted to contemporary fiction. In my twenties I started submitting stories for journals and competitions, and in 2022 I was lucky enough to receive a Northern Writer’s Award from New Writing North. Shortly after that I met my wonderful agent Jenny, and the pipe-dream of being published turned into a tangible prospect that made me take myself more seriously as a writer.

What inspired you to start writing?

I grew up loving Just William, Jeeves and Wooster, and Jane Austen, and I always really wanted to write things that captured the humour of those stories.

Tell us about your new book, Thirst Trap. Where did the idea come from?

Thirst Trap is a novel about three women turning thirty a year after the death of their best friend, struggling in different ways to process their grief and move on from the life they all shared in their twenties. I don’t think I could place a single moment of inspiration for starting the novel; I spent a fair whack of my own twenties writing and rewriting it, so the book just sort of grew up alongside me.

Thirst Trap by Gráinne O'Hare

What do you hope this book instills in the reader?

Despite the darkness of some of Thirst Trap’s themes, I do hope readers find warmth and humour in it. I hope people feel compassion towards the girls in the book – and if readers relate to their experiences, I hope they can also feel compassion towards themselves.

What did you learn when writing this book?

I learned more about how to write characters who make mistakes. When I started out writing these girls, I always had the impulse to explain and defend any bad behaviour; I think I feared a reader would otherwise think both I and my characters lacked self-awareness. I hope Thirst Trap has taught me how to write awed people with more subtlety and nuance.

Tell us about your writing process?

While I was writing Thirst Trap I was also doing a full-time office job and a part-time PhD in eighteenth-century studies. (I would not recommend this setup to anyone, but at the time I was determined to make all three of them work together, because I love writing fiction and I love researching the eighteenth century and I also enjoy being able to pay rent and buy food.)

It was often a challenge to carve out time for writing when I was trying to balance it with work and university; the thing that got me over the finish line with Thirst Trap was becoming part of a writing group. Having that accountability and protected time to focus on writing, as well as the support of like-minded friends, helped me to finally finish the novel.

Where do you draw inspiration from?

A lot of my inspiration starts with places, often buildings. Thirst Trap in its very earliest form was my way of trying to connect with my home city of Belfast after I first moved away. I love locations with interesting histories and I’m inspired by little architectural quirks and anecdotes. I have a particular obsession with train stations.

What are your top three favourite books of all time, and why?

I’ve been rereading Michel Faber’s 800-page masterpiece The Crimson Petal and the White every few years since I was a teenager. It’s a rich Dickensian odyssey and every time I read it I notice and feel something new. Another long-term favourite of mine is Thérèse Raquin by Émile Zola, because apparently I can’t get enough of fiction about murky alleyways and horrible people in the late nineteenth century. I also adore Emma Jane Unsworth’s novel Animals, I think she’s such a funny and observant writer. Having said all that, I have a lot more than three favourite books of all time so unfortunately if anyone ever asks me this question again I will probably list three completely different but equally beloved novels (or, more likely, instantly forget every book I’ve ever read).

Who are some of your favourite authors, Irish or otherwise?

Nina Stibbe, David Nicholls, Helen Fielding, Irvine Welsh, and Caroline O’Donoghue. I also love short stories, particularly by Jean Rhys, Elizabeth Bowen, Lucia Berlin, and Lucy Caldwell.

What are some upcoming book releases we should have on our radar?

Wendy Erskine’s first novel The Benefactors. Anyone who’s read Wendy’s short fiction knows what a masterclass they are in writing character, setting, and feeling; The Benefactors is no different.

What book made you want to become a writer?

It’s somewhat of a cliché but it was Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. I read it when I was thirteen and I loved the fact that the sentences could have the archaic beauty of the long eighteenth century, and still be so funny and readable.

What’s one book you would add to the school curriculum?

Multitudes by Lucy Caldwell.

What’s the best book you’ve read so far this year?

I Hope You’re Happy by Marni Appleton is a debut collection of short stories that absolutely blew me away. Naomi Booth’s latest novel Raw Content has really stuck with me for its sensitivity, dark humour, and beauty of prose. Emma van Straaten’s This Immaculate Body was also truly chilling in the best way.

What’s some advice you’ve got for other aspiring writers?

A piece of writing advice I think about a lot comes from Stephen King, when he said, “sometimes you’re doing good work when it feels like all you’re managing is to shovel sh*t from a sitting position”.

Lastly, what do the acts of reading and writing mean to you?

I think reading and writing are both about leaps of faith. Every story I read or write begins with the hope that it will lead to something brilliant. It doesn’t always pan out that way – I’ve read stories that just didn’t do it for me and I’ve written stories that were complete and utter garbage. But you try again, you keep taking the leap; and when it pays off, it’s magic.

Thirst Trap by Gráinne O’Hare (Picador, €15.99) is on sale now.

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