An unflinching and emotionally insightful debut about cultural identity, homesickness, love and loss.
In the five years following his brother's death, Aaron has built himself a life of solitary routines. After moving from Dublin to Boston, and illegally overstaying her visa, Róisín has done the same.
When the two meet on a night out, they each find in the other something missing in their lives. A semblance of home.
Their relationship is complicated by their disparate religious backgrounds - Aaron is Jewish; Roísín is atheist - and by the harsh realities of everyday life. Just as they're pushed to their breaking point, Roísín realises she is pregnant.
Placeholdersis a poignant story of loneliness corrected and the transformative power of love.
Publisher: Verve Books
ISBN: 9780857308573
Number of pages: 256
Dimensions: 198 x 129 mm
For anyone who's ever experienced homesickness, loss or that type of love that you can't bear to be without, this is the novel for you. Tender, bittersweet and beautifully written - Belfast Telegraph
This bittersweet debut explores liminal times, places and relationships... It's a subtle depiction of the blurring of lines between religion and community, between love and obligation, rich with the sort of present-moment nostalgia that there's almost certainly a German word for - GQ (Best Books of 2024)
A slender novel with a lot of emotional heft. James Roseman's debut is written with the simplicity of impeccable tailoring - Irish Independent
Placeholders is an incredibly assured debut novel - humane, heartfelt and beautifully observed. Roseman raises huge questions about identity, belonging and family, excelling in his depiction of the small, everyday exchanges which make or break a relationship. A quietly, powerful novel, from a writer I'm keen to keep my eye on - Jan Carson, author of Quickly, While They Still Have Horses
There's no way around it: James Roseman writes beautifully. Confident, complex, moving, funny, Placeholders is a novel that makes a beeline to the heart. Time and again, I didn't want it to end - Declan Toohey, author of Perpetual Comedown
This was a very well written and engaging novel about two young people making their way together in life. Simple, heartfelt and readable, I would definitely recommend it.
If you like escapism in your reading, this definitely isn't for you - this book is PAINFULLY real.
It's incredibly poignant and thoughtful, but it always stays grounded; characters have epiphanies and...
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Not a book that I would have naturally picked up, Roseman's debut presents bruising but unspoken clashes between faith and reality, between love and survival, between loneliness and family.
Neither American...
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