Three Houses in Rome

by Órfhlaith Foyle

An older sister gathers her demons and journeys to Lorient, seeking closure with her estranged brother and his over-protective wife; a group of people holidaying in ‘Three Houses in Rome’ are faced with reality when death infiltrates their abnormal lives; shortly before their suicides together, a newly-wed Eva Braun makes a mistake on her marriage certificate to Adolf Hitler; after the sudden death of her new husband, a young woman returns from her own Hell in Australia to a gaol cell in Galway and fights to re-create her life. These strange, lonely and dark tales from Órfhlaith Foyle revel in the solitary fear and beauty of her characters’ lives, aware that evil is ordinary and love is often in its company.

176 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2023

About the author

Órfhlaith Foyle is an Irish writer and poet. Foyle was born in Nigeria to Irish missionary parents, living there as well as Kenya and Malawi, all of which had a profound effect upon her writing. She later lived in Australia, France, Russia, Israel and the United Kingdom. She now lives in Galway, Ireland. Her publications to date include a novel and a book of poetry. A second novel is forthcoming.

Her cited influences include Flannery O'Connor, Katherine Mansfield, Emily Brontë and Emily Dickinson. She has a Bachelor in Humanities, and has been published in a number of literary journals.

Reviews

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. If you like it you'd love it. Some of the stories are more engaging than others and overall beautiful prose.

[Mark Dwyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like it you'll love it. My bookmark splits it in two and I want to read everything else OF. Contrary tales, standing while sitting while running, silent and shouty. Vital, personal, metaphysical, lyrical, unreliable; banquet - done so so well. If you like it you'll love it.