The End Of The World Is A Cul De Sac

Chef-turned-writer Louise Kennedy’s short story collection details the relationships of women in modern Ireland, mixing folklore and fairytales with the grim realities of life after the Irish economy’s downturn. Her focus is on people in crisis and hiding secrets – a wife left on a ghost housing estate after a mysterious death; a woman on the run from her baby-fixated partner; a landscape gardener who builds his life around an oblivious ex following a shared tragedy. With pin-sharp characterisation, particularly of older women, Kennedy uses flashes of humour to draw you into her often unsettling world. While she takes time finding her feet in the opening stories, some of which fail to ignite, the later tales show promise.