Description A compelling, dramatic story of schizophrenia, murder and the rush to judgement; a story of prejudice and consequent tragedy. A teenage girl is brutally murdered, and Billy, a schizophrenic, is accused.
With its echoes of cases such as the Jill Dando murder, this moving and topical novel about society's failure towards the mentally ill tells an engrossing, resonant story.
This moving novel is about a mentally ill man and his need for a home. It is also a mystery novel, set in present day suburbia. A thirty-year old woman travels to London to identify a body that has been fished out of the Thames; it is believed to be that of her brother, Billy. The narrative flashes back to the brutal murder of a teenage girl when Billy is regarded suspiciously by the neighbours, one of whom sends poison pen letters.
“At the heart of this innocent-seeming novel lies a scathing critique of attitudes to mental illness. Mary Rose Callaghan’s velvet-gloved hand wields a pen as sharp as a razor. An honest look at how we really are, this is not a novel to forget in a hurry.” Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Orange Prize shortlisted novelist.
Mary Rose Callaghan is the author of several novels, including Mothers (1982), Confessions of a Prodigal Daughter (1985), The Awkward Girl, (1990), Has Anyone Seen Heather? (1990), Emigrant Dreams, (1996, The Last Summer, (1997), The Visitors’ Book (2001).
Author Mary Rose Callaghan, author of six previous novels, one play and one biography, is noted for her comic fiction, which is characterised by her “Irish wit...[and] sense of the ridiculous” Library Journal.
She is also the author of many short stories, which have appeared in magazines and anthologies; she teaches courses in Irish fiction and she was assistant editor of The Dictionary of Irish Literature.
"Very, very funny... A brilliantly observed picture of Celtic Tiger Dublin... Give yourself a treat. Read it!" Éilís Ní Dhuibhne
"I laughed aloud as I read The Visitors' Book. Although Irish, she reminds me of the best American comic writers. If you enjoy Alison Lurie or Carol Shields, you'll like this." Brendan Kennelly
