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A Beautiful Loan
A young woman finds herself in and out of love in this intimate, intense novel from “a truly startling talent” (Kevin Barry).
In 1985 Dublin, nineteen-year-old Anna Hughes is in thrall to Peter Gallagher, an older, worldly man. Introverted and naive, Anna is captivated by Peter’s experience, his wide circle of friends and his thirst for adventure. Her obsessive longing for him leads to marriage and, eventually, a crushing betrayal.
When Anna meets a kindhearted Algerian man, she finds herself falling in love with him. Life with Karim offers stability and renewed hope and, slowly, Anna begins to uncover deeper layers of herself.
Unfolding over twenty-five years, this is a novel about the loss of innocence, the shame and humiliations of love, and the psychological cost of seeking salvation in others. A Beautiful Loan is a devastating story about what it means to be a woman, as well as a testament to literature’s ability to give us a language when we’re lost for words.
In 1985 Dublin, nineteen-year-old Anna Hughes is in thrall to Peter Gallagher, an older, worldly man. Introverted and naive, Anna is captivated by Peter’s experience, his wide circle of friends and his thirst for adventure. Her obsessive longing for him leads to marriage and, eventually, a crushing betrayal.
When Anna meets a kindhearted Algerian man, she finds herself falling in love with him. Life with Karim offers stability and renewed hope and, slowly, Anna begins to uncover deeper layers of herself.
Unfolding over twenty-five years, this is a novel about the loss of innocence, the shame and humiliations of love, and the psychological cost of seeking salvation in others. A Beautiful Loan is a devastating story about what it means to be a woman, as well as a testament to literature’s ability to give us a language when we’re lost for words.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published March 5, 2026
About the author
Mary Costello
50 books118 followersMary Costello lives in Dublin. Her collection of short stories, The China Factory, was nominated for the Guardian First Book Award. Academy Street is her first novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
January 10, 2026
Mary Costello has a great way with words and some passages are really poetic. But…..I grow weary of novels about spineless woman who float through life. This story has been told a few times too many. Perhaps it would appeal more to younger readers not ones in their sixties.
April 8, 2026
I went into A Beautiful Loan by Mary Costello with high hopes, and for a while, it truly delivered. The first half of the novel is beautifully written—quietly compelling, with a strong sense of mood and emotional depth that completely drew me in.
However, as the story progressed, my engagement began to slip, and by the end, I felt deeply disappointed. What frustrated me most was the lack of any real redemption or meaningful resolution for the female character. I just felt let down by the protagonist’s choices in the second half.
It’s especially disappointing because the novel shows so much promise early on and the writing is beautiful and I had hoped for a better outcome.
A novel that starts strong but ultimately didn’t land for me. Not one for my favourites shelf.
However, as the story progressed, my engagement began to slip, and by the end, I felt deeply disappointed. What frustrated me most was the lack of any real redemption or meaningful resolution for the female character. I just felt let down by the protagonist’s choices in the second half.
It’s especially disappointing because the novel shows so much promise early on and the writing is beautiful and I had hoped for a better outcome.
A novel that starts strong but ultimately didn’t land for me. Not one for my favourites shelf.
January 4, 2026
There’s no denying that it’s beautifully written, but I’ve decided that I have no interest in books about women who stay in awful relationships without the reader getting even a hint of an explanation as to why.
April 20, 2026
(Spoiler alert) I was enjoying this book very much when two-thirds of the way through, the main character did something unexpected and heinous that pissed me off: She went along with her boyfriend’s demand that her beloved dog be moved outside. She knew it was wrong, she knew her dog would suffer and she allowed it anyway. This was not a woman without agency, though she acted like it, which was another problem with the book. I don’t ever remember a book making me so angry and it totally changed my view of it. I cannot recommend it.
November 14, 2025
What a stunning novel! I was fascinated at Anna’s life and the decades as they went by. From her first marriage and the chaos and heartbreak of it, to her love for her dog, and her interest in becoming a Muslim, there is so much to take in. As she finds who she really is, I felt the emotions she felt - grief, fear, longing, love, confusion. I already miss her since I’ve finished the book. It was truly as if I walked in her shoes as she narrates her life story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 5, 2025
A really great and gut wrenching chronicle of a woman whose meekness allows the men around her to control her life since she was very young. A testament to the beauty and solitude of finding oneself over the years, it reads more like a diary than a novel and is bare in its contemplative nature. A philosophical through line guides the reader’s emotional journey alongside narrator Anna’s, adding depth and intellect. Like a polished, grown up, and more desolate rendition of Sally Rooney’s Normal People.
March 30, 2026
I love Irish novels, so I was really looking forward to A Beautiful Loan. The writing is strong and emotional, but I struggled with the main character. Anna’s repeated choices in unhealthy relationships made her hard to connect with, and some moments were frustrating.
There are themes about love and self-discovery, but the story didn’t fully work for me.
⚠️ Trigger warnings: infertility, animal neglect/loss
Overall, well written, but not for me.
There are themes about love and self-discovery, but the story didn’t fully work for me.
⚠️ Trigger warnings: infertility, animal neglect/loss
Overall, well written, but not for me.
May 17, 2026
(3.5) An offbeat glimpse into the soul of an introspective Irish woman with shifting preoccupations. Anna is not interesting so much for the particulars of her life (marriage to Peter, a mountain climber who ; a beloved dog) as for the philosophies that guide her. She is in turn fascinated with Jungian thought, Camus's life and works, and Islam - this last through .
Anna presents her own narrative as a way of self-psychoanalyzing at age 45: looking back to see why she did what she did, what her state of mind was, and why she was susceptible to certain people and ideas. Partly it's that she was so young and impressionable when she met Peter, just 19 to his mid-30s. The Jungian therapist she starts seeing late in the book agrees with Anna that she's "porous ... permeable" but also a sensitive - Anna has premonitory dreams that revealed, e.g. to her before the fact. The complications of her life come through her entanglements with other people, whereas she's happiest when she's alone with her dog and her books, contemplating life.
As always with Costello's books, a lot of themes and character development are packed into a small number of pages, but this one won't stay with me like Academy Street did. The attempt to evoke the early 2000s through the titles of songs playing in a nightclub was cringe, but otherwise the sweep of time was well handled. As with Barcelona, there is a slightly heavy-handed animal rights message. I don't disagree, but there would be a way of conveying it more subtly. So this wouldn't be my first recommendation if you want to try Costello - probably my last, actually - but if you had a special hankering to read about women's psychological development and self-understanding this wouldn't be a bad choice.
Anna presents her own narrative as a way of self-psychoanalyzing at age 45: looking back to see why she did what she did, what her state of mind was, and why she was susceptible to certain people and ideas. Partly it's that she was so young and impressionable when she met Peter, just 19 to his mid-30s. The Jungian therapist she starts seeing late in the book agrees with Anna that she's "porous ... permeable" but also a sensitive - Anna has premonitory dreams that revealed, e.g. to her before the fact. The complications of her life come through her entanglements with other people, whereas she's happiest when she's alone with her dog and her books, contemplating life.
As always with Costello's books, a lot of themes and character development are packed into a small number of pages, but this one won't stay with me like Academy Street did. The attempt to evoke the early 2000s through the titles of songs playing in a nightclub was cringe, but otherwise the sweep of time was well handled. As with Barcelona, there is a slightly heavy-handed animal rights message. I don't disagree, but there would be a way of conveying it more subtly. So this wouldn't be my first recommendation if you want to try Costello - probably my last, actually - but if you had a special hankering to read about women's psychological development and self-understanding this wouldn't be a bad choice.
April 27, 2026
I found this an interesting read especially in how it explores the way life experiences & the people around us can shape the choices we make.
I found the pacing quite slow, I listened to the audio book & the monotonous tone of the narrator might not have helped. I struggled with Anna’s inability to face life independently before making drastic life decisions. It was frustrating that she was so easily led by people in her life even when she was hurting by living life this way. I wanted to shake her at times. Wake up Anna!!
I found the pacing quite slow, I listened to the audio book & the monotonous tone of the narrator might not have helped. I struggled with Anna’s inability to face life independently before making drastic life decisions. It was frustrating that she was so easily led by people in her life even when she was hurting by living life this way. I wanted to shake her at times. Wake up Anna!!
May 16, 2026
While there were some lovely passages in this novel it was not for me. I struggled with the character of Anna and the 25 plus years we spent in her company.
April 11, 2026
This is my kind of book but it may not be for everyone. The narrative mines the interior of her mind and it has a psychoanalytic tone thought the writing was excellent.
April 22, 2026
Maybe two and a half stars. Very frustrating main character who put her life in the hands of others and a writer trying to be too clever.
July 8, 2026
This book has a very grown-up look at how relationships with men or even others can take control of your life and become all consuming within them.
July 28, 2026
As a person who is introverted and loves her solitude, I could relate to Anna. Like Anna, I floated through my late teenage years and early 20’s making decisions I had no business making and lived with the consequences. Unlike Anna, it didn’t take me quite as long to learn my lessons. I love a good character driven book that explores self-examination. Especially when the main character is in her 40’s. Mary Costello writes so beautifully. I look forward to reading her other novels.
August 3, 2026
This was well written but the main character was so pathetic to me that I was frustrated for almost the entire book. I’m happy she finally had a spine at the end, but ugh!
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April 24, 2026The following book reviews have been shared by Text Publishing – publisher of A Beautiful Loan
‘A book that grabs the reader from page one.’
Australian
‘Grounded, fully charged and realistic.’
Saturday Paper
‘There is no greater chronicler of the inner life at this moment. As artificial intelligence and big tech force an increasingly diminished definition upon us of what it means to be human, this novel reminds us that we are so much more.’
Guardian
‘Costello is one of Ireland’s greatest writers . . . Her prose is precise and focused and, like a stiletto blade, sinks deep . . . This is a big book in a small package, about one woman’s growth.’
Financial Times
‘A subtle, unsettling and deeply humane novel that lingers long after the final page.’
Sunday Independent
‘At times I was breathless with the intensity of this novel.’
Kate Evans, ABC Radio National, The Book Shelf
‘like a beautiful piece of music… I am filled with admiration for Mary Costello.’
Claire Messed, author of This Strange Eventful History
‘Mary Costello’s A Beautiful Loan creates a gripping and unsparing portrait of Anna Hughes, whose longing to find ‘safety and oneness,’ and to submit to love, deepens as both inner and outer worlds close in. This unsettling novel opened before me like a Rorschach test, troubling all my interpretations.’
Madeleine Thien, author of The Book of Records
‘This beautiful book has a hurrying heartbeat like a drum, hurrying us toward something we can’t bear to learn. Mary Costello’s writing is rich in knowing, in yearning, in grief, in a deep understanding of the heart.’
Roxana Robinson, author of Leaving
‘An exceptional, compulsive novel of love, loss, and courage. Told in poetic, clear-eyed prose, A Beautiful Loan is heartbreaking but unsentimental, and easily Mary Costello’s best work yet.’
Sinéad Gleeson, author of Constellations: Reflections from Life
‘Bubbling over with introspection and Anna’s philosophical, literary-laden musings, this is a novel about finding oneself. . . a fascinating character study of a woman quietly learning to defy expectations.’
Booklist
‘I loved this quiet story, which deftly illumines the perils of absolutism in love and faith.’
Molly Murn, author of Heart of the Grass Tree
‘A book that grabs the reader from page one.’
Australian
‘Grounded, fully charged and realistic.’
Saturday Paper
‘There is no greater chronicler of the inner life at this moment. As artificial intelligence and big tech force an increasingly diminished definition upon us of what it means to be human, this novel reminds us that we are so much more.’
Guardian
‘Costello is one of Ireland’s greatest writers . . . Her prose is precise and focused and, like a stiletto blade, sinks deep . . . This is a big book in a small package, about one woman’s growth.’
Financial Times
‘A subtle, unsettling and deeply humane novel that lingers long after the final page.’
Sunday Independent
‘At times I was breathless with the intensity of this novel.’
Kate Evans, ABC Radio National, The Book Shelf
‘like a beautiful piece of music… I am filled with admiration for Mary Costello.’
Claire Messed, author of This Strange Eventful History
‘Mary Costello’s A Beautiful Loan creates a gripping and unsparing portrait of Anna Hughes, whose longing to find ‘safety and oneness,’ and to submit to love, deepens as both inner and outer worlds close in. This unsettling novel opened before me like a Rorschach test, troubling all my interpretations.’
Madeleine Thien, author of The Book of Records
‘This beautiful book has a hurrying heartbeat like a drum, hurrying us toward something we can’t bear to learn. Mary Costello’s writing is rich in knowing, in yearning, in grief, in a deep understanding of the heart.’
Roxana Robinson, author of Leaving
‘An exceptional, compulsive novel of love, loss, and courage. Told in poetic, clear-eyed prose, A Beautiful Loan is heartbreaking but unsentimental, and easily Mary Costello’s best work yet.’
Sinéad Gleeson, author of Constellations: Reflections from Life
‘Bubbling over with introspection and Anna’s philosophical, literary-laden musings, this is a novel about finding oneself. . . a fascinating character study of a woman quietly learning to defy expectations.’
Booklist
‘I loved this quiet story, which deftly illumines the perils of absolutism in love and faith.’
Molly Murn, author of Heart of the Grass Tree
April 27, 2026
A book club choice and I read this in a day, partly because I felt bad having not finished the previous two books in time.The first part of the book reminded me of Louise Kennedy's Trespasses - young girl falls for older man, doesn't quite fit in with his friends...but in this case the older man, Peter, is remote, insensitive and a serial adulterer and I don't understand why Anna stays with him for so long (especially after he left her at the hospital gates!). I found Anna rather unsympathetic (and needing a good shake) with her obsessions with Camus and Jung (I like Camus myself, not so much Jung, and the links to her dreams questionable). I guess these were meant to illustrate how easily she was led and unable to find her own path through life. This set up the second half of the book and her unlikely conversion to Islam, and when she found this too restrictive her 'escape' into therapy.
This slim book was certainly readable but I find such a passive female narrator tiresome.
This slim book was certainly readable but I find such a passive female narrator tiresome.
May 4, 2026
One of the best novels I've read this year. A portrait of a deeply introverted woman who ends up in disturbing relationships as she strives to find meaning through love, Jungian analysis and Islam. It is painfully beautifully written.
April 20, 2026
Stunning as usual with Mary Costello. Shy of two stars as I found Anna’s meekness went relatively unexplained.
August 13, 2026
As occasionally happens I have found myself delaying writing a review for this book because it was just so good. An author I knew nothing about, recommended in some corner of the bookish sites I frequent, picked up without much in the way of excitement or expectation. And from the first page—not an exaggeration!—I was hooked.
The prose is thoughtful and weighty and most importantly real; our main character is so relatable in her internal life and the way she tries to navigate her external one.
We follow her through two important, defining relationships with two very different men. We witness her traumas and sorrows and her grappling with an inner world that is sometimes anxious and sad but, although she doesn’t always realize it, always rich and beautiful in its sincere depth.
We get to reckon with religion and the life of the soul, womanhood in the face of patriarchy—which looks different at times, but is always real—love and what it looks like, what it does to us, and what it means.
This book is unique in its thoughtfulness, and utterly gripping in its empathic force. I admit not much happens in the way of a plot, but that’s not what I always want in a book, especially when I get to witness a beautiful human mind.
Brilliant.
The prose is thoughtful and weighty and most importantly real; our main character is so relatable in her internal life and the way she tries to navigate her external one.
We follow her through two important, defining relationships with two very different men. We witness her traumas and sorrows and her grappling with an inner world that is sometimes anxious and sad but, although she doesn’t always realize it, always rich and beautiful in its sincere depth.
We get to reckon with religion and the life of the soul, womanhood in the face of patriarchy—which looks different at times, but is always real—love and what it looks like, what it does to us, and what it means.
This book is unique in its thoughtfulness, and utterly gripping in its empathic force. I admit not much happens in the way of a plot, but that’s not what I always want in a book, especially when I get to witness a beautiful human mind.
Brilliant.
April 6, 2026
A Beautiful Loan by Mary Costello, narrated by Caitríona Ní Mhurchú
This was a beautifully written and deeply emotional listen. Mary Costello’s writing really draws you in, and I found myself completely captivated by Anna’s story. Her journey felt intimate and thought provoking.
The audiobook narration by Caitríona Ní Mhurchú added another layer to the experience. She did a wonderful job capturing the emotional depth of the characters and bringing Anna’s story to life in a very authentic way.
Overall, a moving and reflective story.
Thank You to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen and review this Audiobook.
This was a beautifully written and deeply emotional listen. Mary Costello’s writing really draws you in, and I found myself completely captivated by Anna’s story. Her journey felt intimate and thought provoking.
The audiobook narration by Caitríona Ní Mhurchú added another layer to the experience. She did a wonderful job capturing the emotional depth of the characters and bringing Anna’s story to life in a very authentic way.
Overall, a moving and reflective story.
Thank You to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for the opportunity to listen and review this Audiobook.
Read
April 2, 2026This book got me out of my 2 month slump-thank you.
Really beautiful meditation about how we lose ourselves, and how to find ourselves too. really connected with the main character, just wish we went a bit more in depth
Really beautiful meditation about how we lose ourselves, and how to find ourselves too. really connected with the main character, just wish we went a bit more in depth
March 26, 2026
un très beau livre ; j'ai adoré
June 13, 2026
As a woman who dreams of solitude, I loved this book. Melancholic, intimate and beautifully written. Anna’s has no backbone, no sense of self and a whole lot of catholic guilt. This allows the men in her life to control her and influence her way of thinking. It takes her until well into her 40s to discover her own belief system and who she really is at her core - something I imagine is quite common for women of her generation.
Give me a sad Irish book where not much happens, any day 💜
Give me a sad Irish book where not much happens, any day 💜
April 3, 2026
Instantly abandoned at the mention of Israel. It’s 2026, it’s unnecessary and rude, almost on purpose. She could have chosen a different “interesting” thing to share about one of the characters.
March 17, 2026
A mesmerising story of a young Irish woman whose porosity and idealism draws her into codependent relationships.
It's tone is reflective and mindful, perceptive and graceful, where bitterness might have been accepted.
I love the insights she gained through her philosophy studies and how her obsession with Camus seems to underscore her sentience. I'm pleased that "The Outsider" (L'Etranger) is fresh in my mind, because it is referenced a lot.
Her maleability and search for a system to live by seems at odds with her intellectual reasoning, and the devices which restrict a woman's ultimate freedom form part of her experience.
Her personal growth is redemptive and gratifying.
Beautifully written using deep interiority to explore the multitudes a person can contain.
It's tone is reflective and mindful, perceptive and graceful, where bitterness might have been accepted.
I love the insights she gained through her philosophy studies and how her obsession with Camus seems to underscore her sentience. I'm pleased that "The Outsider" (L'Etranger) is fresh in my mind, because it is referenced a lot.
Her maleability and search for a system to live by seems at odds with her intellectual reasoning, and the devices which restrict a woman's ultimate freedom form part of her experience.
Her personal growth is redemptive and gratifying.
Beautifully written using deep interiority to explore the multitudes a person can contain.
April 19, 2026
I really liked this book. I think watching how much Anna changes is really important. The first marriage, awful. Then she meets sweet Karim but feels like she’s missing out. Seeing her turn to Islam was beautiful too. I feel like there’s so many wrong thoughts gathered around Islam and during her worst time it saved her truly and she still does the little things that connects her. Nobody’s a perfect Muslim no matter how hard they try. Us woman all have had a similar experience with men and doing anything so they won’t leave unfortunately. So going through and reading the loss, love, confusion, heartbreak, depression felt similar. I loved watching Anna slowly find herself, and allow her to be alone not with a man. And boo dying really did the icing on the cake!!! - I was so sad. She loved a man who was unfaithful and still gave her all and thought the problem was her (been there done that)!! I think every woman needs to read this book shit men too! It’s such a raw book that goes through stuff that woman think/feel and deal with on the daily.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 27, 2026
It’s hard for me to find empathy for this character who will not grow up even after she grows up.
February 17, 2026
Un roman presque journal, une plongée dans la vie d’Anna que nous suivons au fil des années. Une irlandaise sensible, professseure, passionnée de lettres et de Camus, et dont la vie va être constamment « dirigée », parfois inconsciemment, parfois non, par les hommes qui partagent sa vie.
Ce n’est pas le premier roman que je lis à ce sujet, l’emprise masculine et la folie amoureuse étant deux sujets sur lesquels j’aime lire, mais celui-ci a une fluidité et une certaine poésie qui se démarquent à mon sens. En tout cas, je suis facilement entrée dans la tête d’Anna que je trouve « très juste ».
L’amour, les différences d’âges, la religion, les préjugés, etc.. je trouve que le roman dépeint très bien toutes les complexités d’une vie en fait, toutes ses strates et en peu de pages.
NB : je reste quand même perplexe face aux propos sur la psychanalyse qui transpirent du bouquin, j’ai du mal à concevoir qu’on porte encore aux nues cette pratique donc mon appréciation du livre et ma note en pâtissent en peu
Ce n’est pas le premier roman que je lis à ce sujet, l’emprise masculine et la folie amoureuse étant deux sujets sur lesquels j’aime lire, mais celui-ci a une fluidité et une certaine poésie qui se démarquent à mon sens. En tout cas, je suis facilement entrée dans la tête d’Anna que je trouve « très juste ».
L’amour, les différences d’âges, la religion, les préjugés, etc.. je trouve que le roman dépeint très bien toutes les complexités d’une vie en fait, toutes ses strates et en peu de pages.
NB : je reste quand même perplexe face aux propos sur la psychanalyse qui transpirent du bouquin, j’ai du mal à concevoir qu’on porte encore aux nues cette pratique donc mon appréciation du livre et ma note en pâtissent en peu
March 31, 2026
This novel captures all the exquisite sensitivities of a life filled with long retrospection, which provokes the reader to remember many of the private reflections that go into each person’s memories. Poignant at times, intense and vibrant throughout, it is truly an introspective look into what motivates each one of us as we continue through our vicarious lives.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews