Blood and Water

BLOOD AND WATER is a story of grief, love and family secrets from debut author Rebecca Murphy.

When Susan Shaw inherits her uncle's cottage on a remote Irish island, she flees there to escape her crumbling marriage and devastating personal loss. But Dune Island harbours dark secrets spanning generations. In the 1970s, her uncle Frank struggled to find his place as a young gay man in rural Ireland, living a life of quiet desperation alongside his partner JP. Today, as Susan uncovers buried truths about Frank's hidden existence, she must confront the same destructive patterns of silence and shame that have haunted her family.

An extraordinary portrait of two damaged souls, separated by decades but connected by the dangerous legacy of secrets that can destroy — or ultimately redeem.

For readers of Anne Enright and Maggie O'Farrell.

RTE TODAY SHOW NOVEL COMPETITION WINNER