The Lonely Hearts Hotel

Heather O’Neill Riverrun €19.60

Pierrot and Rose are talented orphans who attempt to transform the deprivations of their childhood with theatrical glitter and a romance that’s straight out of a strange, twisted fairy tale. Separated as children, the star-crossed lovers head out into the harsh, seductive world on a series of adventures involving gangsters, showgirls, drug dealers and intriguing hotels, where anything could happen behind closed doors. O’Neill’s magical storytelling is packed with startling images, conjuring up, for instance, a pearl ‘that looked like a seed you were supposed to plant, which would grow into a real moon’. Eithne Farry