January - with its mix of grey-eyed melancholy and reinvigorated resolution - might be the perfect time to soak up Irish writer Ann Griffin’s accomplished five-act debut, When All is Said. Containing echoes of the poignant retrospection of Rachel Joyce and Joanna Cannon, it’s a powerful and tender depiction of a lifetime of love and regret, seen through one man’s twilight-hour toasts to five people who defined his life.
Five toasts. Five people. One lifetime.
I'm here to remember - all that I have been and all that I will never be again.
At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He's alone, as usual -though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.
Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories - of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice - the life of one man will be powerfully and poignantly laid bare.
Heart-breaking and heart-warming all at once, the voice of Maurice Hannigan will stay with you long after all is said.
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781473682993
Number of pages: 272
Weight: 377 g
Dimensions: 219 x 179 x 24 mm
MEDIA REVIEWS
'A story with good bones, perceptive about family politics and the pain of being old in a world changing faster than its hero can comprehend.' - The Times
'There is something special here ... The next big name to emerge from the Irish writing scene.' - John Boyne
'A hugely enjoyable, engrossing novel, a genuine page-turner.' - Donal Ryan
'Anne Griffin's debut novel is a must read. Beautifully observer, masterful story telling - stunning!' - Graham Norton
'Beautifully written, unhurried and thoughtful, and a character you love from the off.' - Kit de Waal
'This is how you tell a story.' - Cecelia Ahern
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