Modern Gods

Nick Laird Fourth Estate €11.99

In his ambitious and unnervingly funny third novel, Laird explores family, forgiveness and the link between faith and violence. Two separate storylines are interlaced: Alison, who’s stuck working for the family business in the Northern Irish town where she grew up, is reeling after discovering her new husband’s unpalatable past. Meanwhile, her sister Liz is becoming mesmerised by a cult leader she meets while making a TV show about the world’s newest religion. Poetry runs through this simultaneously harsh and tender look at the knottiest aspects of humanity.