The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan

Donal Ryan, a native of Nenagh in County Tipperary, was awarded the European Union Award for Writing in 2015. His debut novel, The Spinning Heart, was a critical and commercial success. It was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize. It won the Guardian First Book Award and the Irish Book Awards Book of the Year; it was shortlisted for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award; and it was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the Desmond Elliott Prize. The Thing About December, his second novel, was a Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year and Novel of the Year finalist at the Irish Book Awards. Donal lives near Limerick City with his wife Anne Marie and their two children.