Frida Slattery As Herself

by Ana Kinsella

‘Gorgeous, immersive… both epic and intimate, funny and wise’ Roisín O'Donnell

'Moving, thought-provoking, and utterly delightful’ Elif Batuman

‘Took me back to the way I felt when reading Normal People ’ Chrissy Ryan, Stylist

You could probably run cities on the energy generated between directors like him and actresses like her.
 
When Frida Slattery and John Reddan meet in a Dublin pub in 2005, neither can imagine how they will come to shape and define each other’s lives.?

Frida is struggling to launch her acting career, while John is already gaining a name for himself as a director. From the first they see in each other potential and the chance to create work that matters, though the lines between collaboration and exploitation, friendship and desire will prove dangerously slippery.

With the financial crisis looming, the next 16 years takes them from Dublin to London, via New York and LA, and through success and disappointment, joy and heartbreak. Their connection is tested and stretched to the point of rupture, but something remains that outlasts both their work and their own shifting perceptions.

FRIDA SLATTERY AS HERSELF is an unforgettable story of love, artistic collaboration, and two people coming of age, together and apart.

‘A gorgeous, immersive story which manages to be both epic and intimate, funny and wise. It is, among many things, a beautiful portrait of Dublin, and a story about difficult love, the lure of ambition and finding your creative voice. Tender and unexpected, the story of Frida Slattery and John Reddan will stay with me for a very long time’ - Roisín O'Donnell, author of NESTING

‘A deft, profound and seemingly effortless portrayal of how a series of artworks – as well as the personal and professional lives of the artists – take shape over sixteen years, spanning the 2008 financial crisis, MeToo, and COVID. Ana Kinsella manages to deliver all the pleasures of a comic-romantic novel, while thinking through a satisfying number of big gender politics and financial precarity, the mysteries of artistic collaboration, and the relentless tug-of-war between freedom and security. Moving, thought-provoking and utterly delightful’ – Elif Batuman, author of THE IDIOT and EITHER/OR

‘I inhaled this consuming and addictive novel about love, artistic agency, and the charged complexities of creation, collaboration and power. Frida Slattery and John Reddan will stay with you long after you close the pages of this utterly absorbing debut’ - Francesca Reece, author of GLASS HOUSES

'An expansive, deeply felt love letter to artistic expression, as compelling and ambitious as it is beautifully written. Ana Kinsella handles big themes – power, desire, success – with great subtlety and skill. I loved it' - LISA OWENS, author of NOT WORKING and NATURAL DISASTER

‘Sublime’ - JESSICA STANLEY, author of CONSIDER YOURSELF KISSED
 

Kindle Edition

Expected publication May 7, 2026

Reviews

[jay ☆౨ৎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gosh, I loved this book so much. The best way I can think to describe it is sort of like an Irish ‘La La Land’. The story follows Frida, an actress, and John, a director, as they claw themselves into ambitious careers alongside each other. Frida’s character felt true to the experience of being a woman relentlessly chasing a dream, but losing herself along the way. John was emblematic of a determined craftsman with a specific vision for, and belief in, his art. They’re inexplicably bound but they butt heads consistently and their lives eventually diverge. We follow John and Frida as they age, through the tumult of fame, success, failure and family, until they find their way back to each other. Kinsella’s writing style is exactly what I want when I pick up a book and ‘Frida Slattery As Herself’ quenched a thirst I didn’t know I had. I recommend regardless, but especially if you’re a creative soul with creative ambitions. I felt really seen by it. Thank you to the publisher for the ARC!

[Amanda Fiorani · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible!

Frida Slattery As Herself centres around the lifelong relationship between the title character and John Reddan, that is, between an actress and a director, between two artists, or a director and his muse. The novel is divided into chapters which mark artistic projects in their lives - some that bring them together in charged collaboration, while others drive them apart on their own journeys. The relationship between these two changes in nature many times throughout their adulthood, and it is electrifying. Their chemistry is palpable, and their influence on each other is so clear to them that it might just be the thing to drive them away from each other.

I love this book with a passion. These characters feel so real - they are raw, frustrating, flawed, and addictive. The ending really makes the book come full circle. I would love to see it get adapted to the screen!

Thank you so much to Scribner UK for the proof and for the e-ARC!

[Tess · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such a lovely surprise. I picked it up because I was craving an Irish novel, and was so excited about a story set in the world of theatre and TV between a man and a woman who seemed to be both wonderful for each other, and terrible at the the same. We follow Frida and John over 15 years, from seeing the initial sparks, to watching them create an iconic work of art, to eventually getting together romantically, and the epic fallout from that pretty terrible decision. As Frida moves to America to star in a law procedural show, and John has an ill-advised marriage to someone else, we slowly march towards the Me Too reckoning and Kinsella expertly gives us a fresh perspective of that moment in time from two very different people. I think readers will love this next spring.