Clara and Christina

by Andrew Cunning

When young academic Clara Wilson gets the opportunity to interview the acclaimed novelist Christina Darnell in Belfast, she anticipates a major biographical scoop for her academic book. Who is this mysterious writer? What secrets are lingering behind her novels? And why has she agreed to be interviewed again so late in her career? Clara wants to unpeel the truth behind the fiction. But Christina has another lesson in store for Clara.

Over a few months, a relationship forms between two women who live their lives in books. Clara, writing her first, leans in and learns from a writer finishing her final book. During this time, Clara, face to face with her hero, begins to question her own convictions. Faced with a publication deadline, a newfound friendship with her subject and Christina's own failing health, Clara questions the very logic of her life, ultimately asking what if there is nothing but fiction?

Genres: Fiction, Irish Literature

256 pages, Hardcover

First published July 30, 2026

Reviews

[leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was surprising as I hadn’t heard anything about this book before reading someone’s review of it on Instagram. It follows an academic, Clara, who is interviewing an acclaimed novelist, Christina, for the monograph she intends to write on her. The novel is largely made up of their conversations, digging into many debates of the literary world.

I just loved how original and intelligent this was. As someone who misses dissecting and analysing novels the way you do in school/university, this book was perfect as essentially you are eavesdropping on two characters doing exactly that.

Sometimes you race through books because you need to know how it ends, but that wasn’t the case here, and it’s not that type of book. This is a thoughtful, considered novel and it encouraged me to slow down and really sit with the discussions being had, just like the characters (some of their discussions/analyses included the death of the author, what we seek when reading fiction, the literary trend of the ‘sad woman in an irish city’, how characters are constructed and lots more).

I was nodding my head in agreement to so many of their discussions, and also considered points I hadn’t before. In summary, I love a big brain book!

—————————


so original and intelligent! had a great time reading this

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book as lovely as its author!
Perfect description of what it’s like to live a life dedication to one author, of how reading one book can change the course of your life. Reminded me of John Williams Stoner

[Ciaran Campton · Rating 3.25 out of 5]

Torn on this one. I've not been engaged in anything to do with literary theory since secondary school, so the conversations that Clara and Christina had around this area, or the conversations Clara had with her students were very interesting to me. On the other hand, I don't really see how this was best served as a novel as opposed to a series of introductory essays to these ideas. I suppose if nothing else, the fact that it is a novel is what got my book club to read it
The actual characters themselves feel very thin and by the end of the book I don't feel like I got to know them as people and there isn't much going on in terms of plot. There are occasional glimmers of depth to Clara - her relationship to her mother in particular, but they don't seem fleshed out or explored much.
I do think I will end up re-listening to this though and if nothing else it has me interested in reading around the ideas presented in Clara and Christina's conversations

[Joy McClean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that begs to be reread, and I absolutely will be doing so. One of those books that I knew I was going to love based on the concept alone, but I didn’t anticipate how much the characters would come to mean to me… Clara reminded me so much of myself in certain instances that it was uncomfortable, like having a mirror zone in on your worst aspects. And some good ones too. But still, I loved her dearly by the end. What a wonderful world where you can read books about reading (and writing) books and feel so much in the process!! And what an ending😭 I wish I could say something smarter about this wonderfully smart book, but truly all I can say is that I loved it deeply and, much like with my favourite novel of all time (Gilead), suspect I will have more to say beyond an instinctual love after a second reading. Stay tuned!!

[Liz · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Cunning’s debut novel is a fictional exploration of the craft of writing and studying literature and gently probes the psyche of two women who do. The story centres around Sunday morning meetings in a coffee shop between a young woman near the start of her writing career (Clara) and an older author nearing its end (Christina).

Clara, a budding young academic writes to her reclusive hero requesting an interview for her first book. She’s eager to unearth hidden truths about her idol, to learn of the woman behind the curtain of fiction.

But Christina remains reticent and surrenders little about herself, only glimmers here and there. What grows instead is a connection forged through a shared passion for literature and the art of writing and the quiet joy of interrogating these topics with another person over coffee.

This is a quiet novel with traits of the contemporary Irish literary fiction canon spearheaded by writers like Sally Rooney. I enjoyed the prose and the times Miller allows us to be privy to the discussion happening both ‘on’ and ‘off’ campus, in tuition groups between Clara and her students as well as between the two central protagonists. As a literature graduate, some of the topics were familiar to me. I think it might be a little harder to access, though, if you weren’t and so I’m not sure this novel has universal appeal.

I really enjoyed the journey this novel took me on and I’ve added a few more novels referenced to my tbr. It’s a warm, intelligent work that will most appeal to literature lovers who appreciate a quiet novel about the power of a shared intellectual passion and its ability to connect people.

Huge thanks to @johnmurrays for sending me a finished copy of this work.

[lilywhitereads · Rating 5 out of 5]

beautiful, meta, original. I am completely convinced Christina Darnell is a real person. I’d also love to go back to university just to have a seminar with Clara. I loved every part of this novel.

[Rhiannon Fallows · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book about a book about an author that may definitely be real because life is fiction and fiction is life.

This made me think all about how, what and why I read. It got my brain working without ever feeling like hard work. The writing is gorgeous, full of insight, wonderful observations and felt intelligent but never dry or difficult.

Christina, a successful author now in her later years, felt so incredibly real to me. Clara is tasked with interviewing her as she is writing her own book on Christina and her work. The discussions generated from the interviews were nothing short of fascinating!

Andrew Cunning has written a blinder of a debut here and I wholeheartedly recommend!

I loved it!

[Gumble's Yard - Golden Reviewer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the architecture of Clara's mental world and had been for years, she realised. Christina's novels were the usual terminus of her thinking, where her thoughts always led her to, as though the work of Christina Darnell was a scratch in viny!
Clara's mind couldn't help but follow.

 
The debut novel of a Northern Irish based teacher and writer. 
 
It is directly inspired I believe by an incident when he was completing his PhD on the brilliant American novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson and took a chance to ask her agent for an interview – which to his surprise was accepted, Cunning flying to Iowa to interview his literary idol and ultimately publishing a monograph on the author’s work.
 
The two titular protagoniss are: Clara – in her early thirties, from a working class estate background, now a English literature academic and Christina, a well known but reclusive novelist in her seventies.  Clara is planning a monograph on Christina (subject of her Doctorate, an author with who she has been obsessed since picking up one of her few novels by chance in a bookshop as an undergraduate – and whose world views, for example on the timeless relevance of stories from scripture, have heavily informed her own) and to her surprise Christina agrees to meet her for a series of wide ranging recorded interviews in a coffee shop near her house.
 
And to her delight Christina too it seems has resumed writing – planning something of a valedictory novel after a 15 year hiatus.
 
From there the relationship, which takes place against the background of the slight incomprehension of Clara’s privileged-upbringing doctor boyfriend and Clara’s difficult relationship with her mother (exacerbated by their very different life experiences), extends to something closer to friendship as Clara has dinner at Christina’s house and even helps her move her study and books.
 
The highlight of the book are the discussions of the two – Christina has a strong and acerbic views on recent trends in literary fiction, particularly the rise of autofiction, the prevalence of novels set in and around academia, the publication of memoirs by people in their late twenties (really as they have little else to write about) and the badging of literary fiction in identity politics terms.  

As an aside the author has said (on an Instagram exchange) that the novel’s conception was the line There is nothing more ill advised than a thirty-year old with a memoir
 
Alongside that we have Clara’s own lectures and tutorials with her students – ranging across a range of real-life contemporary novels.
 
Of course, much of this is deliberately and cleverly knowing – we are after all reading a largely auto-fictional novel set precisely in the world of academia.
 
But there is also some powerful philosophical musings on the nature of fiction (what for example are the relative roles of writer and reader) and on the importance of fiction and writing as a way (perhaps the way) to understand and represent the world and life – some of this in conversation and some even in reproduced parts of Clara’s monograph.
 
For much of the novel Clara believes a key part of her interviews will be to uncover the real Christina – whose biographical details have always slightly evaded students of her work, for example why did she come to live in Belfast, what past events have driven some of her fictional choices – but in practice the interviews serve more to allow Clara to come to terms with her own past and make some different choices about her future which play out in a reading and interview from her monograph (as well as a closing scene as she buys Christina’s new novel).
 
Overall I found this a clever and delightful read - a literary novel about literary fiction – highly recommended for lovers of literary fiction.
 
My thanks to John Murray for a paper ARC and an ARC via NetGalley
 

There can be nothing good about combining invention and personal history in the one genre, like some sort of Frankenstein's monster. People may well pretend they find it beau-tiful, but we all know it's ghastly and will pass away soon enough?
Why do you think it's so popular now?
*Because every twenty-three-year-old in the West is doing a PhD in creative writing, that's why. And what's more, they all seem to discover by their second year that they have nothing to say that they have no actual imagination. And, strangely, they haven't experienced enough in their short lives to successfully make something up, so they turn inwards, and when they find nothing of much worth there either, they decide to invent a new version of themselves and call it autofiction. Why else is every second book nowadays set on a university campus? I'll tell you: because genuine fiction is very difficult. All of those sorts of novels read like writing exercises. Take the architecture of your life and change it a bit. That's all fine, but don't mistake an exercise for something worth publishing.'

 

[Mairead Hearne (swirlandthread.com) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clara and Christina, by Andrew Cunning, is a very clever & distinctive debut. It is a metafictional style novel that will have every reader struggling, on completion, to accept that neither Christina or Clara are real people.

Clara is an academic who has always been in awe of the writing of the reclusive Christina Darnell. When Clara made an approach to Christina she never anticipated that she would get a meeting but what transpired was a weekly coffee at 9am on a Sunday morning in a café near Christina’s home. Clara was writing a monography about Christina so this opportunity provided her with inside access to this writer that the literary world was curious about.

As the weeks passed their friendship developed and Clara was mesmerised by the breadth of knowledge and opinions that Christina shared with her. Her mindset was not too surprising but it was the access to her inner thoughts that Clara was so caught up with.

Cunning adds in sections from Darnell’s work, within conversations and observations, leaving the reader wanting more, believing that there is more. Really quite extraordinary.

Clara and Christina is a difficult novel to pigeon-hole. Cunning hails from an academic background as an educator in literature and theology. His knowledge of this world provides a real sense of authenticity to many chapters, especially those where Clara is lecturing and tutoring her own students. Throughout the novel there are multiple reference to real-life creatives, in both the writing and music sphere, with novels and albums mentioned that need to be explored.

The conversations between Clara and Christina are very tangible, immersing the reader into the coffee shop with them as they grow their connection. Christina has very strong views leaving Clara initially quite shy and quiet but as their dates pass she develops in confidence and is more able to offer her own personal views on the subjects discussed. For Clara these meetings are quite self-reflecting and considered as she learns more about herself. Christina offers her a different perspective on life and while Clara may not always agree, she is very open to learning and understanding.

Carefully written, precise and polished, Cunning has written an unashamedly literary novel that demands time for reflection. A high-concept read, Clara and Christina is profound and astute, a remarkable debut.

[Craig Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clara is an academic in Belfast, forging a career with a specialism in contemporary literature. She hopes a monograph will be her debut publication and her chosen subject is the septuagenarian author Christina Darnell who is currently penning her fifth book in the city. Some critics claim she peaked with her first novel and little is known, beyond her work, about the writer herself. But Clara has read all her books (several times) and everything else written about the somewhat enigmatic author. To Clara’s astonishment, Christina agrees to meet to discuss her work on neutral territory. And so begins a Sunday ritual of professional coffee dates which subtly evolves into a friendship, culminating in Clara dining at Christina’s home. But Clara discovers it is Christina’s books alone she is prepared to discuss and her thoughts on contemporary literature, not peeks into her personal life which Christina deems irrelevant to any evaluation of her writing. Gradually a mutual respect develops with both women’s outlook on their work impacted by the ideas and perceptions they exchange.
I haven’t studied English Lit. so at times I needed a dictionary to understand some of the terms being discussed! And I found myself reading parts of the philosophical debates a second or third time before I was content to move on. But in no way did this lack of expertise on my part detract from the reading experience. Aside from the literary themes there is also a generational strand to the story with Clara born in a relatively peaceful N Ireland but to a mother who had suffered the traumas of the Troubles.
This is a book for literary fiction aficionados, be they reader or writer. The vignettes of students analysing contemporary fiction were edifying. And the insights into how a writer might construct (or conjure up) characters into a storyline were illuminating.
The greatest compliment I can pay Andrew Cunning is to say by the end I felt I should be able to research Christina on Goodreads or StoryGraph. I believed in the fiction, which I knew to be a fiction, and I believed in it willingly!
Thank you to NetGalley and John Murray Press for an eARC of Clara and Christina which is published on 30th July.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clara and Christina by Andrew Cunning is a debut novel about writing, friendship, and the relationship between an established author and an aspiring writer. I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley, and this is my honest review.

Clara is writing a monograph about the acclaimed novelist Christina Darnell, and the two quickly develop a rapport through a series of deep, thought provoking conversations. Meeting regularly in a coffee shop, they discuss literature, fiction, reading, the writing process, teaching, and memoirs.  Christina has strong opinions about writing and is guarded when it comes to both her books and her personal life, but through Clara's thoughtful questioning, we gradually come to understand her more fully.

The novel is essentially an indepth exploration of an established writer through the eyes of an intelligent young woman who is also finding her own voice as a writer. There are many discussions about how writing affects an author, how deeply writers become absorbed in their work, and references to literary greats throughout.

Although I appreciated much of what this novel was trying to do, I wasn't fully engaged throughout. I admired the intelligence behind the discussions and the ideas being explored, but they occasionally felt more analytical than emotionally engaging. As a result, I personally never quite formed the connection with the story that I was hoping for. Ultimately, it just wasn't the right fit for me.  However, I can certainly see this finding an appreciative audience. Readers who enjoy literary fiction and novels that explore the craft of writing in depth are likely to get far more from it than I did.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have taken my time to read this book and consider the writing in full, to be sure I have understood what I need to walk away with. I’m no academic, probably the readers equivalent to a Taylor Swift fan, so I settle with what theory might go over my head and what might stick.
What an interesting situation to be in, to know the author writing about a writer, writing about a writer. A fiction about academics and writers and fiction and readers, there were little messages to be found scattered all across this wee book, like, I know exactly what it means to be a sad Sally Rooney reader in an Irish city, and exactly what you’d mean by being a Shuggie Bain reader.
I pushed against the urge to attempt to understand the novel through its writer and drawing parallels between Christina and AC, and his experience of meeting a literary hero, all of which I thankfully didn’t know much about. The more I read, the more I committed to the fiction of it all. As it turns out, fiction might be no further away than the absolute truth. Now, with my new developed sense of fiction in my pocket, I quietly understand this book may be the closest that I get to knowing AC. He’s clever, playful, heartfelt and incredibly funny.
I’ll save the spoilers, but I felt quite torn open when all was said and done. More than anything, I am left with an ease about the unknown. That is my take away. Clara and Christina are the intergenerational friendship I yearn for and it’s a pleasure to sit in on their conversation.
I’ll return to this book again, which is something I never do, however I am sure there will be more to gain.

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel this is a complicated read to review for me & I'm prepared to be in the minority of readers who didn't completely vibe with this as much as I'd hoped. That being said, there were still a few things to enjoy & I definitely think there's a specific reader who'll take something more away from this than I did.

For a lot of this book, it sort of felt like I'd entered a world I shouldn't be in or that I was spying on the character's conversations in some scenes— it's hard to fully explain what I mean by this but in short, I couldn't fully immerse myself into the story & I'm still unsure how much of this was just my fault & how much was the book itself. However, there was obviously something about this that kept me wanting to pick it up, even if I couldn't lose myself into it like I wanted to.

I do like books that have a strong theme of writing & books in them & for the most part I enjoyed that about this, particularly the scene/s of Clara discussing literature & contemporary fictions with her students. I thought those scenes & a few others were reflective & interesting. Unfortunately there was also a lot about this that came across as too pretentious or philosophical for me which I realise is probably a personal thing but again, this kept taking me out of the story & caused me to zone out more times than I'd like to admit during chapters.

This was okay, it doesn't warrant any less than 3 stars but I guess I was hoping for a different story than the one I got. I think it's one that others should pick up for themselves & I have no doubt it'll be popular among a lot of the reading community.

Thank you Hachette UK & Netgalley for my free eARC!

[Jamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this well enough, particularly Christina’s sarcasm, and for me the best parts were the conversations between the two protagonists. There is something entertaining about the dynamic between the older, rather formidable Christina and Clara, and whenever the two of them were talking, the book felt much more alive.

Unfortunately, I found the detail of Clara’s life just far too detailed. We don’t simply need to know that she went to the shop; we get to know that she picked up a courgette, some of the more expensive fresh pasta, some halloumi and a jar of green pesto. There was a lot of this sort of thing, and after a while I began to wonder whether I was reading a novel or a particularly detailed account of someone’s weekly shop.

There is plenty to enjoy here, and the conversations between Clara and Christina are the strongest part of the book, but I could have done with considerably less detail about Clara’s everyday life and rather more of Christina’s wonderfully dry observations.

[Ben Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrew Cunning's debut novel, Clara and Christina is about novelists, writing and the friendship between a young woman and the older novelist she has come to interview and has always admired. From a simple premise Cunning crafts a story that engages with the very concept of what fiction can mean today, how it can change people, and influence the course of a life. I absolutely adored this novel, breezing through it in one sitting. His characterisation of the two women was spot-on, and I really came to care about what they each had to say. I also loved all the literary references - from literary titans to less well known voices we should know. Clara and Christina then is a literary treat, and if you love literary fiction then you will get a lot out of this.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

[Katy Wheatley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clara is a young woman looking both to make a name for herself and to understand herself. A fortuitous meeting with someone who knows the woman Clara wrote her PhD on leads to a series of meetings between Clara and Christina, the woman she now hopes to write a monograph on. We are treated to their conversations which begin to deepen into a strange kind of friendship that sustains and transforms both women. This is really however a book about writing a book, about the nature of biography and the study of literature and the lines we draw between what is and what we want. It verges on becoming a series of lectures that the friendship is the placeholder for at times. I wanted more from the relationship than the book was prepared to give but that may be me as the reader at fault here.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my introduction to a book like this and it was an incredible, emotional and beautiful journey. Some very deep conversations about important topics that offers perspectives that I share but also new perspectives and experiences that had me thinking. I particularly adored that it was predominantly set in Belfast, I haven’t read a book that was set here, being used to reading books set in Manhattan, London and other cities and this was so well written that I was nearly kicking my feet because I felt right there on Ormeau Road. I really enjoyed reading this and getting to know Clara and Christina!

[David Donovan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve found myself in a pattern of reading books about devotion and single-minded study and this is maybe my favourite depiction of the entanglement of that relationship. It’s such a deft exploration of the tenuous nature of knowing everything about what someone has put forth and being confronted with the reality of that person along with what they won’t share. Gorgeous and full of thoughtfulness and love for literature and thinking.

[Róisín · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started this in Mallorca and finished it on the bus journeys to and from school first week back.
This is a story about a famous author Christina Darnell and young academic Clara set in Belfast.
Clara and Christina had very in depth,sometimes a little heavy for me, conversations about fiction.
I enjoyed the lighter moments about Clara's meeting with her agent, when she visited Christina at home and when she subbed for a tutorial.

[Spud · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling tale of two intricate and complicated characters.
I was left contemplating the answers the book posed.

An essential read for those who take an interest in the existentialism of life, highly recommend.

[Sue Divin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quietly intelligent with a wry, understated humour and observational wit about the literary world. I loved this book. If you’re looking for a book that borders philosophical and spiritual, yet will make you smile secret smiles, this is it.