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Stations
In 1982, Róisín and Red meet as teenagers in their hometown in Ireland. Red's reputation for trouble might precede him, but Róisín finds in him an intelligent and funny – if unlikely – friend. When a brush with the law pushes Red into a corner, he escapes their town and his family for good to start a new life in England.
As the years pass, they grow up and apart. Despite Red's particular gift for disappearing, they remain tethered to one another, a fragile thread holding their once fierce friendship together. When Róisín arrives in London to spend Christmas with her estranged father, she finds herself swept up once more into Red's storm. Róisín longs for the closeness they once had, but Red continues to travel away from her – and as the past weighs on the present, Róisín wonders if she'll ever reach Red where he is.
Stations is a devastating story of love and friendship, and the choices we blithely make when we are young, unaware that the consequences will reverberate throughout our lives.
As the years pass, they grow up and apart. Despite Red's particular gift for disappearing, they remain tethered to one another, a fragile thread holding their once fierce friendship together. When Róisín arrives in London to spend Christmas with her estranged father, she finds herself swept up once more into Red's storm. Róisín longs for the closeness they once had, but Red continues to travel away from her – and as the past weighs on the present, Róisín wonders if she'll ever reach Red where he is.
Stations is a devastating story of love and friendship, and the choices we blithely make when we are young, unaware that the consequences will reverberate throughout our lives.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published September 24, 2026
About the author
Louise Kennedy
6 books895 followersLouise Kennedy grew up near Belfast. Trespasses is her first novel. She is also the author of a collection of short stories, The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac. She has written for The Guardian, The Irish Times, and BBC Radio 4. Before becoming a writer, she worked as a chef for almost thirty years. She lives in Sligo, Ireland
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Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A gut wrenching depiction of family dysfunction, alcoholism, drug addiction tempered by love and a depth of friendship that clenches the heart. Louise Kennedy has written a story so realistic with characters so real that I woke up this morning thinking about them and anxious to get back to them. I fell in love with Roisin (roh- SHEEN) and Red from the start. In 1982 in a town near Dublin these two teenagers become best friends. Roisin without a friend in the world, saddened by her home situation and Red quietly enduring a trauma that we don’t fully know the severity of until close to the end of the novel . Always there for each other until it’s impossible. Moving back and forth between home and London in the decades between 1982 and 2007 I was brought to places I never knew - house squatting, alcoholism, drug addiction.
The story mostly centers on Roisin’s journey and her family over the years. The family dynamics moved me to tears, both sad and happy ones . However, Red is never out of her mind even during the years they are apart . A lot happens during these twenty five years, and if you want more of the plot, there are several reviews that give those details. The story is emotionally draining to say the least , but there is the possibility of redemption, forgiveness, even though not for all. It’s been a long time since I woke up thinking about characters in a book. A testament to Kennedy’s exceptional writing. As soon as I finished it I bought a copy of her first novel Trespasses.
I received a copy of this from Riverhead through NetGalley.
The story mostly centers on Roisin’s journey and her family over the years. The family dynamics moved me to tears, both sad and happy ones . However, Red is never out of her mind even during the years they are apart . A lot happens during these twenty five years, and if you want more of the plot, there are several reviews that give those details. The story is emotionally draining to say the least , but there is the possibility of redemption, forgiveness, even though not for all. It’s been a long time since I woke up thinking about characters in a book. A testament to Kennedy’s exceptional writing. As soon as I finished it I bought a copy of her first novel Trespasses.
I received a copy of this from Riverhead through NetGalley.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
“And so they went on, throwing out truths without eye contact, the words so powerful neither of them could bear to behold their effect.”
Let this Irish novel germinate while you read. Stations is not meant to fill in a space between books, or as a propulsive plot (although the last 1/3 of the book just about destroyed me!). Kennedy’s world-building here is unflinching, infallible, and formidable. All those Fs in words! There are no straw characters or phony incidents. It’s so credibly authentic that I would have believed it as a memoir. This is the story, primarily, of Róisín McCaffrey and Red Camelin, which starts in the early 1980s and ends in 2007. Is it a love story? One of friendship? It is both, plus a story of community, isolation, grief, addiction, identity, family, found family, and a few unmentionables.
In a small town in Ireland (closest big city is Dublin), Róisín and Red meet in school, around age fifteen. Both outcasts, although Red is from a wealthy and influential family. However, it is obvious he doesn’t like to go home, and spends a lot of time staying with Róisín and Una (Róisín’s divorced mother) at their somewhat squalid but also homey home. Red is an attentive listener, and he will happily indulge Róisín. But he is circumspect, if not silent, about his own life. He may speak in generalizations, but Róisín repeatedly and unsuccessfully presses him to share more, to trust her with his guarded secrets.
Years pass, Róisín goes to college for a while, and Red takes off for the wilds, but they circle around and find each other. During this era, moving to London can put a chip on your Irish shoulder, but they both do that independently and end up squatting in a London building with several others. Red is still emotionally unreachable. Róisín remains besotted. “Sometimes she was so comfortable in his company she forgot herself, farting, mumbling aloud then, realizing he was there, feeling astonished to see him. Other times...it was as though a crackle of lightning was going between them, like God’s finger giving life to Adam in pictures she had seen from the Sistine Chapel.” Can these characters grow? One thing I learned young—wherever you go, there you are.
Conor, Róisín’s father, is an immature man and alcoholic with a new wife and a baby daughter, also in London. Róisín has a reason to visit now, to be with her sister, Mary. Family dynamics steer the choices that Róisín makes. The narrative grows outward, to the Irish diaspora in London, and sometimes inward again, almost claustrophobic. The prose is spot-on and restrained, a lot the reader can suss in the silent spaces. All characters have blind spots, some will leave you in pieces.
It’s a moving portrait of a complex and highly developed cast, foremost about Róisín and Red and the community that surrounds them. It unspools with delicacy-- but raw, too, a bittersweet finale-- no promises, and a twist of hope.
Thank you to Riverhead for sending me a copy for early review. I'm still waiting to exhale!
Let this Irish novel germinate while you read. Stations is not meant to fill in a space between books, or as a propulsive plot (although the last 1/3 of the book just about destroyed me!). Kennedy’s world-building here is unflinching, infallible, and formidable. All those Fs in words! There are no straw characters or phony incidents. It’s so credibly authentic that I would have believed it as a memoir. This is the story, primarily, of Róisín McCaffrey and Red Camelin, which starts in the early 1980s and ends in 2007. Is it a love story? One of friendship? It is both, plus a story of community, isolation, grief, addiction, identity, family, found family, and a few unmentionables.
In a small town in Ireland (closest big city is Dublin), Róisín and Red meet in school, around age fifteen. Both outcasts, although Red is from a wealthy and influential family. However, it is obvious he doesn’t like to go home, and spends a lot of time staying with Róisín and Una (Róisín’s divorced mother) at their somewhat squalid but also homey home. Red is an attentive listener, and he will happily indulge Róisín. But he is circumspect, if not silent, about his own life. He may speak in generalizations, but Róisín repeatedly and unsuccessfully presses him to share more, to trust her with his guarded secrets.
Years pass, Róisín goes to college for a while, and Red takes off for the wilds, but they circle around and find each other. During this era, moving to London can put a chip on your Irish shoulder, but they both do that independently and end up squatting in a London building with several others. Red is still emotionally unreachable. Róisín remains besotted. “Sometimes she was so comfortable in his company she forgot herself, farting, mumbling aloud then, realizing he was there, feeling astonished to see him. Other times...it was as though a crackle of lightning was going between them, like God’s finger giving life to Adam in pictures she had seen from the Sistine Chapel.” Can these characters grow? One thing I learned young—wherever you go, there you are.
Conor, Róisín’s father, is an immature man and alcoholic with a new wife and a baby daughter, also in London. Róisín has a reason to visit now, to be with her sister, Mary. Family dynamics steer the choices that Róisín makes. The narrative grows outward, to the Irish diaspora in London, and sometimes inward again, almost claustrophobic. The prose is spot-on and restrained, a lot the reader can suss in the silent spaces. All characters have blind spots, some will leave you in pieces.
It’s a moving portrait of a complex and highly developed cast, foremost about Róisín and Red and the community that surrounds them. It unspools with delicacy-- but raw, too, a bittersweet finale-- no promises, and a twist of hope.
Thank you to Riverhead for sending me a copy for early review. I'm still waiting to exhale!
July 27, 2026
I feel like I’ve been shot nine times (compliment)
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
4.5 rounded to 5 stars
Trespasses is a favorite book of mine. I just love reading books by Irish authors.
This book transports you to Ireland and London from 1982 to 2007. It is a beautiful story of relationships, love, loss and addiction, and decisions that were made. Second guesses that maybe would have changed things.
It is character driven, and written with raw prose that may not be for everyone. An emotional heartbreaking story, with an unexpected ending that I just loved.
Roisin McCaffrey is a newcomer to Kildare as she recently moved from Northern Ireland. She doesn’t have many friends and agrees to deliver letters from Tina Doyle, to her boyfriend Redmond Camelin.
Roisin and Red become friends, but drift apart when Red’s father banishes him from his home.
He leaves Ireland for London.
They reconnect again after Roisin visits her estranged father in London
She finds Red living in a squat house in London under deplorable conditions. She finds a different Red that she has known in the.past. He is a troubled soul and their lives disconnect again.
They lose touch for many years and Roisin goes on a quest to find him.
This is an emotional read that you will not soon forget.
Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for this advanced readers copy.
Trespasses is a favorite book of mine. I just love reading books by Irish authors.
This book transports you to Ireland and London from 1982 to 2007. It is a beautiful story of relationships, love, loss and addiction, and decisions that were made. Second guesses that maybe would have changed things.
It is character driven, and written with raw prose that may not be for everyone. An emotional heartbreaking story, with an unexpected ending that I just loved.
Roisin McCaffrey is a newcomer to Kildare as she recently moved from Northern Ireland. She doesn’t have many friends and agrees to deliver letters from Tina Doyle, to her boyfriend Redmond Camelin.
Roisin and Red become friends, but drift apart when Red’s father banishes him from his home.
He leaves Ireland for London.
They reconnect again after Roisin visits her estranged father in London
She finds Red living in a squat house in London under deplorable conditions. She finds a different Red that she has known in the.past. He is a troubled soul and their lives disconnect again.
They lose touch for many years and Roisin goes on a quest to find him.
This is an emotional read that you will not soon forget.
Thank you to NetGalley and Riverhead Books for this advanced readers copy.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Shortlisted for the 2026 An Post Irish Book Awards - Eason Novel of The Year
Northern Irish born, Irish based author Louise Kennedy’s debut novel “Trespasses” was featured on the 2022 version of the always prize-prescient Observer Best 10 Debut Novelist feature and went on to be: shortlisted for the inaugural 2022 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and the 2023 Women’s Prize, while winning the 2022 Irish Book of the year, the 2023 British Book Award for Debut Fiction (a prize which rewards sales success and campaign alongside literary merit) and the 2023 McKitterick Prize (for best debut novel for an author over 40).
Set in 1975 Northern Ireland, its main protagonist is a mid-20s primary school teacher from a lower-middle class Catholic family who falls for a much older, married, Protestant barrister with outspoken views on Civil Rights; the novel capturing brilliantly a bleak portrait of a particular place and time in history in what was a gritty and uncompromising read.
This her second novel’s starting point is actually a character from her a story “Belladonna” in her short story collection “The End of the World is a Cul de Sac” – Róisín who when we first encounter her in 1982 as a teenager has already moved moved with her Catholic family South (her father still reaping the aftermath of his brief service in the RUC having already left the family home) and is something of an outcast for her accent and for the fellow Catholics aversion to the Troubles (much of this detail is part autobiographical – Kennedy too having left the North with her family aged 12 in 1979 – although more due to attacks on the family bar).
Initially due to a role as a subservient messenger for love girls from the alpha-girl, she spends time with Red – from a well off middle-class family, but notorious for his behaviour and as Red is increasingly estranged from his own family Roisin’s home (complete with a middle aged and old fashioned teacher her mother is dating to her horror) becomes more of his home – before a brush with the law exiles Red to London.
There in late 1984 – estranged from her own family by first her father’s new baby and then her mother’s attempts to annul the marriage (effectively making Róisín redundant) she joins him in his squat – where she realises he is a small time soft drug dealer.
And from there the novel plays out with other characters becoming more crucial – not least Barry, squat mate of Red, brother to Róisín’s schooldays bête noire and eventually Róisín’s lover; and her father’s new partner (and mother to Róisín’s step-sister) Lynne.
At one stage the Red/ Róisín interaction – a will they/won’t they thing between Irish friends from different social classes but whose relative status of privilege changes over time seemed like the novel might be a kind of Sally Rooney novel (but with the action moved from Trinity to London), but far from it.
In fact this is as gritty and uncompromising as Kennedy’s debut as increasingly Red’s drug problems (it soon becomes clear he is a user as well as a dealer, and the drugs quickly move from soft to hard) and her father’s struggle with alcohol and self-esteem become dominant alongside a fairly grim picture of life in London (where Kennedy too lived for much of the 1980s).
And things get darker as the reasons behind her father’s behaviour and more so the reason for Red’s addiction and for his breach with his family become the dominant themes.
And this culminates in a memorably difficult encounter between Róisín and Red at Paddington station in 1989, followed by her looking for him in 2007 and an impressively un-neat ending.
Overall like her debut this felt a little too grim for my tastes and here, unlike her debut, I struggled to really get a feel for the characters and their stories – but that debut won the author many fans as well as prize nominations and I expect the same here .
My thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC via NetGalley
Northern Irish born, Irish based author Louise Kennedy’s debut novel “Trespasses” was featured on the 2022 version of the always prize-prescient Observer Best 10 Debut Novelist feature and went on to be: shortlisted for the inaugural 2022 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize and the 2023 Women’s Prize, while winning the 2022 Irish Book of the year, the 2023 British Book Award for Debut Fiction (a prize which rewards sales success and campaign alongside literary merit) and the 2023 McKitterick Prize (for best debut novel for an author over 40).
Set in 1975 Northern Ireland, its main protagonist is a mid-20s primary school teacher from a lower-middle class Catholic family who falls for a much older, married, Protestant barrister with outspoken views on Civil Rights; the novel capturing brilliantly a bleak portrait of a particular place and time in history in what was a gritty and uncompromising read.
This her second novel’s starting point is actually a character from her a story “Belladonna” in her short story collection “The End of the World is a Cul de Sac” – Róisín who when we first encounter her in 1982 as a teenager has already moved moved with her Catholic family South (her father still reaping the aftermath of his brief service in the RUC having already left the family home) and is something of an outcast for her accent and for the fellow Catholics aversion to the Troubles (much of this detail is part autobiographical – Kennedy too having left the North with her family aged 12 in 1979 – although more due to attacks on the family bar).
Initially due to a role as a subservient messenger for love girls from the alpha-girl, she spends time with Red – from a well off middle-class family, but notorious for his behaviour and as Red is increasingly estranged from his own family Roisin’s home (complete with a middle aged and old fashioned teacher her mother is dating to her horror) becomes more of his home – before a brush with the law exiles Red to London.
There in late 1984 – estranged from her own family by first her father’s new baby and then her mother’s attempts to annul the marriage (effectively making Róisín redundant) she joins him in his squat – where she realises he is a small time soft drug dealer.
And from there the novel plays out with other characters becoming more crucial – not least Barry, squat mate of Red, brother to Róisín’s schooldays bête noire and eventually Róisín’s lover; and her father’s new partner (and mother to Róisín’s step-sister) Lynne.
At one stage the Red/ Róisín interaction – a will they/won’t they thing between Irish friends from different social classes but whose relative status of privilege changes over time seemed like the novel might be a kind of Sally Rooney novel (but with the action moved from Trinity to London), but far from it.
In fact this is as gritty and uncompromising as Kennedy’s debut as increasingly Red’s drug problems (it soon becomes clear he is a user as well as a dealer, and the drugs quickly move from soft to hard) and her father’s struggle with alcohol and self-esteem become dominant alongside a fairly grim picture of life in London (where Kennedy too lived for much of the 1980s).
And things get darker as the reasons behind her father’s behaviour and more so the reason for Red’s addiction and for his breach with his family become the dominant themes.
And this culminates in a memorably difficult encounter between Róisín and Red at Paddington station in 1989, followed by her looking for him in 2007 and an impressively un-neat ending.
Overall like her debut this felt a little too grim for my tastes and here, unlike her debut, I struggled to really get a feel for the characters and their stories – but that debut won the author many fans as well as prize nominations and I expect the same here .
My thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC via NetGalley
March 23, 2026
ugh yes louise kennedy has done it again ⭐️
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Louise Kennedy has produced another beautiful but unflinchingly real story with Stations. Not quite a love story but certainly one of enduring friendship. Róisin McCaffrey meets Red (Redmond) Camelin for the first time when she becomes a message carrier for Tina Doyle, whose father does not approve of Red as a boyfriend.
The two immediately bond and the friendship develops as Red's relationship with his violent father and ineffectual mother breaks down. Roisin wishes for so much more but has to settle for friendship when Red leaves Ireland.
Years later they reconnect in London. But Roisin is no closer to pinning Red down. All she can do is be his friend and try to save him from his worst excesses.
Stations is another beautiful but difficult book by Louise Kennedy. She does not sugarcoat anything, seeing no need to provide happy endings which so rarely happen in real life.
Both Roisin and Red are deeply flawed characters but they are both very likeable and it is hard not to root for them even at their most self-destructive. My favourite characters were, however, Mary who doesn't let Roisin get away with her bad behaviour and Barry who tries so hard.
A stunning book that I'd highly recommend. Louise Kennedy hasn't put a sentence wrong yet. I very much look forward to whatrever comes next.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the digital review copy. Very much appreciated.
The two immediately bond and the friendship develops as Red's relationship with his violent father and ineffectual mother breaks down. Roisin wishes for so much more but has to settle for friendship when Red leaves Ireland.
Years later they reconnect in London. But Roisin is no closer to pinning Red down. All she can do is be his friend and try to save him from his worst excesses.
Stations is another beautiful but difficult book by Louise Kennedy. She does not sugarcoat anything, seeing no need to provide happy endings which so rarely happen in real life.
Both Roisin and Red are deeply flawed characters but they are both very likeable and it is hard not to root for them even at their most self-destructive. My favourite characters were, however, Mary who doesn't let Roisin get away with her bad behaviour and Barry who tries so hard.
A stunning book that I'd highly recommend. Louise Kennedy hasn't put a sentence wrong yet. I very much look forward to whatrever comes next.
Thankyou to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for the digital review copy. Very much appreciated.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
edit: this feels a pretty fair review to me, and i have specified where i received the advance copy from. curious that goodreads continues to delete my rating!
i was tempted to give this three, at first, but i think that was partly my affection for louise kennedy, whose previous novel, trespasses, i unexpectedly loved. but really there was so much wrong with this, i can't write the review i'm about to write and justify a three. from start to finish, i was utterly unconvinced by this.
i am ready to move past this kind of fiction (and i am ready for publishers to do the same). i'm allowed to say that because ive read every single incarnation of this book, this particular brand of working-class contemporary litfic. ive read juno loves, ive read true love by paddy crewe, ive read only here, only now, ive read everything by douglas stuart. i have been the target audience for this stuff, ive been sat at the end of the conveyer belt with my mouth wide open. i know it so well i knew every single beat of this from its initial pages, and at no point did it diverge. . even if this was the best iteration of this book i had read, id be tired of it. it was nowhere near the best. i love that working-class stories are being published but its starting to feel a bit icky, and a bit twee, that its the same story thats allowed to be told. im ready to start seeing some more innovation in this subgenre.
this just reeked of a sophomore novel that couldn't find a point to its existence beyond the need to follow-up a brilliant and commercially-successful debut. i felt like i could see the contract hovering beneath the text like i was reading a palimpsest. it said nothing, achieved nothing; i was so unconvinced by its long cast of cliched characters, i was so put off by a protagonist who wasn't interesting, underwent no arc, was still behaving like a fourteen year old in that third act that dragged on for far too long. everyone in this book who you are meant to dislike is written with so little generosity that it cannot be misunderstood what kennedy needs you to think about these characters; no one is allowed to surprise you, or be nuanced, theres a set of evil people, theres a set of posh people who are evil by virtue of their poshness and theres a set of hardscrabble kids we're supposed to root for who just failed to stir anything in me. i have a particular resistant to liking characters it feels the author is insisting too hard that i like.
at one point, one of the characters says, "what does that make me, a whingeing trauma junkie?". that is all any of these characters are, that is all kennedy allows them to be. its a long plod of ever more sensational hardships (sensational not because theyre unrealistic, because people dont face these things or have lives like this, but because kennedy reduces their lives entirely to these cliched sufferings) and people talking the way no one has ever talked, the epidemic of therapy speak dialogue reaching even into upmarket high-falutin prize-winning fiction. for a novel that hinges on missed moments, miscommunications, repression, these characters cannot stop pouring their hearts out to each other, every moment is mined for sentimentality until theres nothing left. it just felt so horribly TWEE.
i was really anticipating this, hence why i begged for a proof. kennedy is a fantastic writer and i believe she will write more fantastic books, but this wasnt one; it was an unremarkable contribution to a tired, predictable, extremely specific niche of working-class fiction that i think its high time we all move on from. there are so many more stories to tell!!! we have so much more to offer than this!!!
i was tempted to give this three, at first, but i think that was partly my affection for louise kennedy, whose previous novel, trespasses, i unexpectedly loved. but really there was so much wrong with this, i can't write the review i'm about to write and justify a three. from start to finish, i was utterly unconvinced by this.
i am ready to move past this kind of fiction (and i am ready for publishers to do the same). i'm allowed to say that because ive read every single incarnation of this book, this particular brand of working-class contemporary litfic. ive read juno loves, ive read true love by paddy crewe, ive read only here, only now, ive read everything by douglas stuart. i have been the target audience for this stuff, ive been sat at the end of the conveyer belt with my mouth wide open. i know it so well i knew every single beat of this from its initial pages, and at no point did it diverge. . even if this was the best iteration of this book i had read, id be tired of it. it was nowhere near the best. i love that working-class stories are being published but its starting to feel a bit icky, and a bit twee, that its the same story thats allowed to be told. im ready to start seeing some more innovation in this subgenre.
this just reeked of a sophomore novel that couldn't find a point to its existence beyond the need to follow-up a brilliant and commercially-successful debut. i felt like i could see the contract hovering beneath the text like i was reading a palimpsest. it said nothing, achieved nothing; i was so unconvinced by its long cast of cliched characters, i was so put off by a protagonist who wasn't interesting, underwent no arc, was still behaving like a fourteen year old in that third act that dragged on for far too long. everyone in this book who you are meant to dislike is written with so little generosity that it cannot be misunderstood what kennedy needs you to think about these characters; no one is allowed to surprise you, or be nuanced, theres a set of evil people, theres a set of posh people who are evil by virtue of their poshness and theres a set of hardscrabble kids we're supposed to root for who just failed to stir anything in me. i have a particular resistant to liking characters it feels the author is insisting too hard that i like.
at one point, one of the characters says, "what does that make me, a whingeing trauma junkie?". that is all any of these characters are, that is all kennedy allows them to be. its a long plod of ever more sensational hardships (sensational not because theyre unrealistic, because people dont face these things or have lives like this, but because kennedy reduces their lives entirely to these cliched sufferings) and people talking the way no one has ever talked, the epidemic of therapy speak dialogue reaching even into upmarket high-falutin prize-winning fiction. for a novel that hinges on missed moments, miscommunications, repression, these characters cannot stop pouring their hearts out to each other, every moment is mined for sentimentality until theres nothing left. it just felt so horribly TWEE.
i was really anticipating this, hence why i begged for a proof. kennedy is a fantastic writer and i believe she will write more fantastic books, but this wasnt one; it was an unremarkable contribution to a tired, predictable, extremely specific niche of working-class fiction that i think its high time we all move on from. there are so many more stories to tell!!! we have so much more to offer than this!!!
October 19, 2026
This is a particularly saddening story. There are few happy endings, and it’s a measure of the success of the writing that the reader is drawn into wishing and hoping that things turn out well, or at least better, for Roisin, and Redmond and even Barry (Finbarr).
Roisin Mccaffry is a very attractive character (personality). We don’t get much guidance on her physical looks, and that’s great. Let the reader decide. (I’m not a great fan of the book cover though. A photograph of a beautiful young woman which is bound to influence your mind’s eye imagination.) Roisin has a wicked line in dialogue and sharp banter and she makes an immediate impression on those she meets. Her lustre fades as the story progresses, and this is entirely appropriate as the love of her life, Red descends into a serious drug induced poverty, hunger and homelessness. He’s her soul mate and hence the evisceration of his youthful hopes is bound to affect Roisin.
It’s a beautiful, and hopeful turn when Rosin’s much younger (step) sister, Mary, reaches adulthood. Mary has the same family genes that make her a youthful light in any room.
The sisters differ. A list of life affirming aspirations in a book gifted to Roisin (”I could read the sky”) by Timothy O'Grady, includes the pointer to “perform the manners of meeting and greeting“. Roisin is especially coy and awkward in this respect.
Poor Guy, and poor Barry. They don’t stand a chance. The affinity Roisin feels for red transcends any and all advice she is given including that of her own eyes.
Every credit is due to Louise Kennedy. She didn’t turn to writing until well into her fifties. Good for her. This is a horribly perceptive picture of a time, the 1980s, when life in an inner city could be brutal.
Wimbledon Book Festival conversation with Chris Power 17.10.26
• A lot that’s autobiographical. Left the north in 1979. Did go to Henley with its tartan rugs and Panama hats. Pimms in one hand, champagne in the other. Man on the coach in Victoria coach station
• Irish diaspora. Men who arrived in England in the 1950s and 1960s. Hard labour, drink, and loneliness.
• On Irish writers from the north. They/we need to send flowers to Anna Burns. (Booker winner)
• “Stations”. Transit (Victoria);transience of squats; Roisin ideas above her…..; Stations of the cross.
• A few possible endings to the book. This was the only plausible one. Done with the characters now (Roisin has first appeared in a book of short stories ten years ago).
• Next novel will/might be called “Novena” (means nine days of devotional prayer)
Roisin Mccaffry is a very attractive character (personality). We don’t get much guidance on her physical looks, and that’s great. Let the reader decide. (I’m not a great fan of the book cover though. A photograph of a beautiful young woman which is bound to influence your mind’s eye imagination.) Roisin has a wicked line in dialogue and sharp banter and she makes an immediate impression on those she meets. Her lustre fades as the story progresses, and this is entirely appropriate as the love of her life, Red descends into a serious drug induced poverty, hunger and homelessness. He’s her soul mate and hence the evisceration of his youthful hopes is bound to affect Roisin.
It’s a beautiful, and hopeful turn when Rosin’s much younger (step) sister, Mary, reaches adulthood. Mary has the same family genes that make her a youthful light in any room.
The sisters differ. A list of life affirming aspirations in a book gifted to Roisin (”I could read the sky”) by Timothy O'Grady, includes the pointer to “perform the manners of meeting and greeting“. Roisin is especially coy and awkward in this respect.
Poor Guy, and poor Barry. They don’t stand a chance. The affinity Roisin feels for red transcends any and all advice she is given including that of her own eyes.
Every credit is due to Louise Kennedy. She didn’t turn to writing until well into her fifties. Good for her. This is a horribly perceptive picture of a time, the 1980s, when life in an inner city could be brutal.
Wimbledon Book Festival conversation with Chris Power 17.10.26
• A lot that’s autobiographical. Left the north in 1979. Did go to Henley with its tartan rugs and Panama hats. Pimms in one hand, champagne in the other. Man on the coach in Victoria coach station
• Irish diaspora. Men who arrived in England in the 1950s and 1960s. Hard labour, drink, and loneliness.
• On Irish writers from the north. They/we need to send flowers to Anna Burns. (Booker winner)
• “Stations”. Transit (Victoria);transience of squats; Roisin ideas above her…..; Stations of the cross.
• A few possible endings to the book. This was the only plausible one. Done with the characters now (Roisin has first appeared in a book of short stories ten years ago).
• Next novel will/might be called “Novena” (means nine days of devotional prayer)
September 9, 2026
A beautiful, sad and heartbreaking story of friendship, love and trauma that feels very authentic. The storytelling totally absorbed me and I loved the Irishness of this novel; the language, the swearing, the sense of identity. Highly recommended!
TmThank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley UK for the ARC.
TmThank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley UK for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Last night I finished an advanced copy (thank you Riverhead) of “Stations” by Louise Kennedy, and it was SO GOOD, I had to sit with it a while to savor it and to figure out how to review it without giving anything away.
It’s the coming-of-age and loss-of-innocence story of Róisín, a lonely teenager in a village near Dublin in the 1980s. In order to get “in” with the popular girls, she agrees to deliver a love note to enigmatic Red on behalf of mean girl, Tina. With this act, Róisín and Red become kindred spirits and fast friends, but Róisín wants more than friendship from Red.
Red is estranged from his family and at sixteen, he flees to Dublin taking up a life as a squatter and drug dealer. After she graduates from high school, Róisín joins him.
What follows is their stories, together and apart, through the 1980s, and then in Part Three, picks up almost 20 years later in 2007.
Their stories are riveting, shocking, and often heartbreaking. I couldn’t put the book down. Much is eventually revealed about why Red is the way he is, and I realized how true it is that when we are young, we miss (and/or ignore) so much information that is right before our eyes.
There is a wide cast of unforgettable characters to fall in love with, all perfectly rendered, flawed but sympathetic, always human. I agonized over some of their choices wanting to scream “NO!” several times.
Kennedy’s dialogue is pitch-perfect with all the signature dry humor, sarcasm, and Irish fatalism that I love so much from Irish writers writing about Ireland.
As I neared the end I had become so invested that I was in a panic about how it was going to end for both Róisín and Red, but I should have trusted Kennedy, she ends “Stations” perfectly.
I predict “Stations” will be nominated for many book prizes (it’s certainly going on my personal Top Ten List for this year), the November 3rd publication date seems far away so I’m urging my reading friends and book clubs to pre-order this beautiful novel.
It’s the coming-of-age and loss-of-innocence story of Róisín, a lonely teenager in a village near Dublin in the 1980s. In order to get “in” with the popular girls, she agrees to deliver a love note to enigmatic Red on behalf of mean girl, Tina. With this act, Róisín and Red become kindred spirits and fast friends, but Róisín wants more than friendship from Red.
Red is estranged from his family and at sixteen, he flees to Dublin taking up a life as a squatter and drug dealer. After she graduates from high school, Róisín joins him.
What follows is their stories, together and apart, through the 1980s, and then in Part Three, picks up almost 20 years later in 2007.
Their stories are riveting, shocking, and often heartbreaking. I couldn’t put the book down. Much is eventually revealed about why Red is the way he is, and I realized how true it is that when we are young, we miss (and/or ignore) so much information that is right before our eyes.
There is a wide cast of unforgettable characters to fall in love with, all perfectly rendered, flawed but sympathetic, always human. I agonized over some of their choices wanting to scream “NO!” several times.
Kennedy’s dialogue is pitch-perfect with all the signature dry humor, sarcasm, and Irish fatalism that I love so much from Irish writers writing about Ireland.
As I neared the end I had become so invested that I was in a panic about how it was going to end for both Róisín and Red, but I should have trusted Kennedy, she ends “Stations” perfectly.
I predict “Stations” will be nominated for many book prizes (it’s certainly going on my personal Top Ten List for this year), the November 3rd publication date seems far away so I’m urging my reading friends and book clubs to pre-order this beautiful novel.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Loved it. Reminded me some of Normal People, though still very much its own sad story. Louise Kennedy can really write! Full review to follow.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
I don't want to be mean, but if possible, this may be the most nothing book ever. I'm not mad at it or anything I just feel nothing. It is a thing I read and was able to make it through without too much difficulty, but it failed to truly engross me or interest me. The writing isn't bad, but incredibly detached, and I lacked the character elements that make a character driven work like this - such as any sense of Ró's rich inner life or raw feeling. I lacked any awareness of the true pain or unease that comes with loving someone devolving into active addiction, but maybe that was the point.
All of this being said, after DNFing 'Trespasses' for being thoroughly miserable, I will not be picking up a book by Louise Kennedy ever again. (Special thank you to my boyfriend for translating some lines of dialogue and description I am too American to comprehend)
All of this being said, after DNFing 'Trespasses' for being thoroughly miserable, I will not be picking up a book by Louise Kennedy ever again. (Special thank you to my boyfriend for translating some lines of dialogue and description I am too American to comprehend)
June 8, 2026
Amazing amazing amazing
Did Not Finish
October 18, 2026Besloten te DNF’en omdat ik gewoon elke keer dat ik een zin zag zonder aanhalingstekens ik intern boos werd. Ik kan er gewoon niet tegen (al komen sommige experimentele boeken er wel mee weg) en kom niet in het verhaal. Ik heb geen zin om een boek te lezen waarbij ik op elke pagina boos ben 🥹 maar please TELL ME WHYYYY one would do this omg
September 27, 2026
I quite enjoyed Kennedy's 'Trespasses', and was excited to see what she would follow it up with. Using a short story character as the basis for a novel isn't always a good choice, and compared to her debut, this has the feel of "written before that one, but held off publishing until", if that is even a literary plan. This reads as semi-autofictional, filled out with large swaths of utterly stereotypical Irish class identification. Not saying it isn't (or couldn't be?) true to life, but for fiction it reads too true to life. Zero nuance, no variation on the down-and-out thematic, with appropriate everything assuredly included, ad nauseam. Not sure what I expected but this wasn't enjoyable at all. The writing is skillful, clear and spartan prose, a bit dialogue-heavy (personal pet peeve), but not literary drivel, skill-wise. Just a bland, forgettable piece of plotting that leaves no marks at all. Great cover art.
Read
August 14, 2026One chapter into Stations and I was already completely smitten.
After loving Trespasses, I went into Louise Kennedy’s second novel with very high expectations, and thankfully they were more than met. Kennedy has such a distinctive way of writing about people: spare, unsentimental and incredibly observant, yet somehow still full of warmth. She can create an entire emotional world with just a few carefully chosen details.
Stations begins in 1980s Ireland, where Róisín and Red form an unlikely friendship as teenagers. Róisín is the sensible, good-girl type, struggling in her own way with school and a complicated family life, while Red already carries the reputation of being trouble. Their friendship begins almost by accident, but it quickly becomes clear that they understand something in one another that other people do not.
From there, the novel moves between Ireland and London, following the pair through different stages of their lives and eventually returning to them many years later. What Kennedy does so well is show how decisions made when we are very young, often without fully understanding their consequences, can reverberate through decades.
There is something incredibly tangible about her writing. At times I genuinely felt as though I were sitting beside Róisín and Red by the river, standing in a dingy London squat, or watching from a railway platform as one life moved further away from another. Kennedy captures not only place but atmosphere: 1980s Ireland, the rough edges of London in the 80s and 90s, family homes, pubs, streets and all the small, ordinary spaces where life quietly changes direction.
I also really appreciated the slight vagueness that sometimes surrounds events. Life rarely makes perfect sense while we are living it, and Kennedy does not over-explain her characters or force every experience into a neat conclusion. People make bad decisions, fail each other, love one another imperfectly and sometimes simply disappear. That messiness makes the novel feel all the more truthful.
There are difficult themes here, including addiction, alcoholism, abuse, loneliness and grief, and watching Red repeatedly drift beyond Róisín’s reach is heartbreaking. Yet I would not describe Stations as bleak. There is humour, tenderness and an enormous amount of love throughout, even when that love is unable to fix what is broken.
Róisín and Red are both wonderfully drawn characters. I spent much of the novel wanting to reach into the pages and give the pair of them a hug. Their relationship is complicated, sometimes frustrating and often painful, but that is exactly what makes it so compelling. Kennedy understands that some of the most important relationships in our lives are not easily labelled. Some people pass through briefly, some remain physically present, and others stay threaded through us long after they are gone.
The title feels increasingly poignant as the novel unfolds. These different places, moments and stages of life become stations in themselves, points at which people meet, separate, wait, move on or occasionally find their way back to one another.
This is a beautifully written, quietly devastating novel about friendship, love, family and the long shadow of the choices we make when we are young. It is gritty and unvarnished without ever losing its humanity.
I could already see Stations translating wonderfully to the screen while I was reading, and I would be very surprised if it does not become every bit as widely discussed as Trespasses.
Irish literature fans will not be disappointed. Louise Kennedy has done it again.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions my own.
After loving Trespasses, I went into Louise Kennedy’s second novel with very high expectations, and thankfully they were more than met. Kennedy has such a distinctive way of writing about people: spare, unsentimental and incredibly observant, yet somehow still full of warmth. She can create an entire emotional world with just a few carefully chosen details.
Stations begins in 1980s Ireland, where Róisín and Red form an unlikely friendship as teenagers. Róisín is the sensible, good-girl type, struggling in her own way with school and a complicated family life, while Red already carries the reputation of being trouble. Their friendship begins almost by accident, but it quickly becomes clear that they understand something in one another that other people do not.
From there, the novel moves between Ireland and London, following the pair through different stages of their lives and eventually returning to them many years later. What Kennedy does so well is show how decisions made when we are very young, often without fully understanding their consequences, can reverberate through decades.
There is something incredibly tangible about her writing. At times I genuinely felt as though I were sitting beside Róisín and Red by the river, standing in a dingy London squat, or watching from a railway platform as one life moved further away from another. Kennedy captures not only place but atmosphere: 1980s Ireland, the rough edges of London in the 80s and 90s, family homes, pubs, streets and all the small, ordinary spaces where life quietly changes direction.
I also really appreciated the slight vagueness that sometimes surrounds events. Life rarely makes perfect sense while we are living it, and Kennedy does not over-explain her characters or force every experience into a neat conclusion. People make bad decisions, fail each other, love one another imperfectly and sometimes simply disappear. That messiness makes the novel feel all the more truthful.
There are difficult themes here, including addiction, alcoholism, abuse, loneliness and grief, and watching Red repeatedly drift beyond Róisín’s reach is heartbreaking. Yet I would not describe Stations as bleak. There is humour, tenderness and an enormous amount of love throughout, even when that love is unable to fix what is broken.
Róisín and Red are both wonderfully drawn characters. I spent much of the novel wanting to reach into the pages and give the pair of them a hug. Their relationship is complicated, sometimes frustrating and often painful, but that is exactly what makes it so compelling. Kennedy understands that some of the most important relationships in our lives are not easily labelled. Some people pass through briefly, some remain physically present, and others stay threaded through us long after they are gone.
The title feels increasingly poignant as the novel unfolds. These different places, moments and stages of life become stations in themselves, points at which people meet, separate, wait, move on or occasionally find their way back to one another.
This is a beautifully written, quietly devastating novel about friendship, love, family and the long shadow of the choices we make when we are young. It is gritty and unvarnished without ever losing its humanity.
I could already see Stations translating wonderfully to the screen while I was reading, and I would be very surprised if it does not become every bit as widely discussed as Trespasses.
Irish literature fans will not be disappointed. Louise Kennedy has done it again.
Thank you to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions my own.
April 4, 2026
Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read the arc for this book.
The story follows the characters of Róison and Red who become friends in their childhood and evolves over time.
The story focuses on the obstacles and unexpected paths life takes you on. The writing and description is very well done. However there was quite a few times I felt lost in the story with the time jumps and the shift from scene to scene and following along with the plot.
One thing I appreciated as an interesting choice was how the book didn’t follow in any route I could have expected, especially the ending which left it up for interpretation.
It tells the story of how friendships come and go and the people who come back into your life after years apart.
The main themes of the book are friendship, love, life choices, coming of age and loyalty.
Spoiler warning !!!! :
As much as the ending being left open for interpretation is interesting I would have enjoyed some form of closure on what happened in terms of Ró searching for Red and what happened to him.
The story follows the characters of Róison and Red who become friends in their childhood and evolves over time.
The story focuses on the obstacles and unexpected paths life takes you on. The writing and description is very well done. However there was quite a few times I felt lost in the story with the time jumps and the shift from scene to scene and following along with the plot.
One thing I appreciated as an interesting choice was how the book didn’t follow in any route I could have expected, especially the ending which left it up for interpretation.
It tells the story of how friendships come and go and the people who come back into your life after years apart.
The main themes of the book are friendship, love, life choices, coming of age and loyalty.
Spoiler warning !!!! :
As much as the ending being left open for interpretation is interesting I would have enjoyed some form of closure on what happened in terms of Ró searching for Red and what happened to him.
October 22, 2026
“Describing her debut novel as an unintentionally ‘plotty book,’ “Stations” embodies’ Kennedy’s more vibes-based manner of working. ‘I don’t plot or plan,’ the author shares. ‘If “Stations” has a plot, it’s maybe just about the choices that one girl – who then becomes a woman – makes over the course of her life, and the people who are important to her at various stages, who come and go, and what they help her learn about herself. A lot of it is about regret. I’m almost 60, and I don’t know anybody my age who doesn’t grapple with that often.’”
~ Olivia Emily in Country & Town House
I have been obsessed with Louise Kennedy since I first picked up “Trespasses”. That novel raged its way into my heart like no other, with writing that was as taut as it was raw, leaving no room for indulgence or melodrama. You know, Irish writers.
Louise Kennedy writes books with a sense of urgency that is palpable on the page. Here is a woman whose interior life is marred by personal pain and deep socio-political traumas linked to Northern Ireland where she grew up. Demons are aplenty and they are vocal.
“Stations” has many of Kennedy’s signature traits: sad and rebellious women who don’t suffer fools, a deadpan sense of humor in the face of tragedy, language that moves like water. It is suffused with aching hearts and a constant longing for a “home” that is always out of reach and impossible to return to.
And yet this one left me wanting. I wanted more of Red and had to accept that his fleeting presence was perhaps meant to be exactly that: a haunting absence, a ghost, the incarnation of all the people in our lives that we couldn’t help, couldn’t change, couldn’t save.
I also had a hard time with the time jumps which became wider and wider apart as the book progressed and ended up diluting a lot of the story’s poignancy. Emotional connection is hard to sustain with so much projection.
While this was not my favorite book of hers, I will still read anything Louise Kennedy writes. Her tales of brokenhearted souls pushing ahead against the odds are as essential to our fictional landscape as those of Carson McCullers.
The Irish heart is indeed the loneliest of hunters.
~ Olivia Emily in Country & Town House
I have been obsessed with Louise Kennedy since I first picked up “Trespasses”. That novel raged its way into my heart like no other, with writing that was as taut as it was raw, leaving no room for indulgence or melodrama. You know, Irish writers.
Louise Kennedy writes books with a sense of urgency that is palpable on the page. Here is a woman whose interior life is marred by personal pain and deep socio-political traumas linked to Northern Ireland where she grew up. Demons are aplenty and they are vocal.
“Stations” has many of Kennedy’s signature traits: sad and rebellious women who don’t suffer fools, a deadpan sense of humor in the face of tragedy, language that moves like water. It is suffused with aching hearts and a constant longing for a “home” that is always out of reach and impossible to return to.
And yet this one left me wanting. I wanted more of Red and had to accept that his fleeting presence was perhaps meant to be exactly that: a haunting absence, a ghost, the incarnation of all the people in our lives that we couldn’t help, couldn’t change, couldn’t save.
I also had a hard time with the time jumps which became wider and wider apart as the book progressed and ended up diluting a lot of the story’s poignancy. Emotional connection is hard to sustain with so much projection.
While this was not my favorite book of hers, I will still read anything Louise Kennedy writes. Her tales of brokenhearted souls pushing ahead against the odds are as essential to our fictional landscape as those of Carson McCullers.
The Irish heart is indeed the loneliest of hunters.
October 23, 2026
"There's a hole in Daddy's arm, where all the money goes, dachte sie. Ein Song von John Prine, den er in Dauerschleife gespielt hatte, ohne je daran zu denken, dass auch sein Arm eines Tages ein Loch haben würde."
Louise Kennedy erzählt die Geschichte von Róisín und Red. Beide lernen sich 1982 in der irischen Stadt Kildare kennen, da sind sie gerade einmal fünfzehn Jahre alt. Sie werden Freunde, während Róisín sich eigentlich mehr wünscht, hält Red sie immer ein bisschen Abstand. Als Red aus seinem gewalttätigen Zuhause in ein besetztes Haus nach London flüchtet, folgt Róisín ihm kurz darauf. Doch der Abstand zwischen ihnen, der bleibt: Red dealt nicht nur mit Drogen, sondern hat angefangen auch selbst welche zu nehmen. Róisín schafft irgendwann den Absprung, lässt aber Red in einem Leben zurück, dass nur noch aus Dunkelheit besteht.
Mich hat die Freundschaft zwischen Red und Róisín sehr berührt: beide wachsen in trostlosen Umständen auf und sind umgeben von Menschen, auf die sie sich nicht verlassen können und die ihnen keinen Halt geben. Róisín gelingt es, sich ein eigenes Leben aufzubauen, aber verliert dabei den Menschen aus den Augen, der ihr - als beide 15 Jahre alt waren - lebenslange Freundschaft versprach. Werden sich die beiden nochmal wiederfinden?
"Red" ist ein bewegendes Buch über Freundschaft, Liebe und Verzeihen. Manchmal müssen wir lernen, nicht nur anderen zu verzeihen, sondern auch uns selbst die Entscheidungen zu verzeihen, die wir in unserem Leben getroffen.
Louise Kennedy erzählt die Geschichte von Róisín und Red. Beide lernen sich 1982 in der irischen Stadt Kildare kennen, da sind sie gerade einmal fünfzehn Jahre alt. Sie werden Freunde, während Róisín sich eigentlich mehr wünscht, hält Red sie immer ein bisschen Abstand. Als Red aus seinem gewalttätigen Zuhause in ein besetztes Haus nach London flüchtet, folgt Róisín ihm kurz darauf. Doch der Abstand zwischen ihnen, der bleibt: Red dealt nicht nur mit Drogen, sondern hat angefangen auch selbst welche zu nehmen. Róisín schafft irgendwann den Absprung, lässt aber Red in einem Leben zurück, dass nur noch aus Dunkelheit besteht.
Mich hat die Freundschaft zwischen Red und Róisín sehr berührt: beide wachsen in trostlosen Umständen auf und sind umgeben von Menschen, auf die sie sich nicht verlassen können und die ihnen keinen Halt geben. Róisín gelingt es, sich ein eigenes Leben aufzubauen, aber verliert dabei den Menschen aus den Augen, der ihr - als beide 15 Jahre alt waren - lebenslange Freundschaft versprach. Werden sich die beiden nochmal wiederfinden?
"Red" ist ein bewegendes Buch über Freundschaft, Liebe und Verzeihen. Manchmal müssen wir lernen, nicht nur anderen zu verzeihen, sondern auch uns selbst die Entscheidungen zu verzeihen, die wir in unserem Leben getroffen.
October 8, 2026
In Red begleiten wir Roisin, eine junge Irin, die später nach London auswandert, von ihrer Jugend bis ins mittlere Erwachsenenalter. Zunächst geht es viel um ihre Freundschaft zu Red, einem Jungen, den sie aus der Schule kennt, den sie aber immer wieder aus den Augen verliert.
Louise Kennedys präziser, trockener Schreibstil hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Gleichzeitig hat sie ein tolles Gespür für ihre Figuren. Besonders mochte ich, dass die Charaktere nicht perfekt sind und sich ihre Beziehungen und Entscheidungen nicht immer einfach einordnen lassen. Das Buch ist stellenweise ziemlich düster und behandelt schwere Themen wie Sucht, Familie und Trauma, aber nicht auf eine arg emotionale Weise, wie das in anderen Büchern oft der Fall ist.
Auf jeden Fall ein Buch, das ich gerne gelesen habe und weiterempfehlen würde.
Louise Kennedys präziser, trockener Schreibstil hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Gleichzeitig hat sie ein tolles Gespür für ihre Figuren. Besonders mochte ich, dass die Charaktere nicht perfekt sind und sich ihre Beziehungen und Entscheidungen nicht immer einfach einordnen lassen. Das Buch ist stellenweise ziemlich düster und behandelt schwere Themen wie Sucht, Familie und Trauma, aber nicht auf eine arg emotionale Weise, wie das in anderen Büchern oft der Fall ist.
Auf jeden Fall ein Buch, das ich gerne gelesen habe und weiterempfehlen würde.
October 11, 2026
Janken op het eind was goed voor mijn verkoudheidssnotneus. Toppertje voor de herfst dus. Dit is een soort guilty pleasure genre van me: tragi-komedische liefdesverhalen die zich afspelen in Ierland, Engeland, Schotland of bewegen tussen die grenzen (met de problematiek en geschiedenislessen van dien.) Vorig jaar was ik in Londen en Edinburgh en aankomend jaar ga ik naar Dublin, en stiekem hoop ik altijd dat ik daar de liefde van m’n leven vind zodat ik me in mijn eigen guilty pleasure kan wanen. Maar goed, dit boek was dus ook lachen en huilen (iets meer huilen misschien) en de hoofdpersonage was erg realistisch maar ook vrij unlikeable. Spiegeltje denk ik. Irritant dat er geen aanhalingstekens werden gebruikt in de dialogen. Het type verhaal dat al 1000 keer verteld is, maar daar is natuurlijk een rede voor, we smullen ervan.
October 17, 2026
After finishing Stations by Louise Kennedy I read the Goodreads reviews to try to understand where my sentiments lay. The number of 5 star reviews would suggest that my sentiments lay in an entirely different place to the majority.
I found Stations to be a dour, dreary and grey book that was completely lacking in colour or inspiration. The story was simply a summary of the lives of a group of people, predominantly Irish, who really didn’t lead interesting enough lives to justify a telling of their journeys. I didn’t relate to, or have empathy for, practically any of the characters with the possible exception of Barry and this was because not enough was done with them to make them particularly relatable. Or interesting. It reached a point in the end where I didn’t really care whether Róisín found Red and that was her primary purpose in life for the last third of the book.
This was a hard read for me and not an enjoyable one.
I found Stations to be a dour, dreary and grey book that was completely lacking in colour or inspiration. The story was simply a summary of the lives of a group of people, predominantly Irish, who really didn’t lead interesting enough lives to justify a telling of their journeys. I didn’t relate to, or have empathy for, practically any of the characters with the possible exception of Barry and this was because not enough was done with them to make them particularly relatable. Or interesting. It reached a point in the end where I didn’t really care whether Róisín found Red and that was her primary purpose in life for the last third of the book.
This was a hard read for me and not an enjoyable one.
October 4, 2026
4.5 stars, love to get my feelings hurt
Read
October 8, 2026Ik was al om na Trespasses en nu ben ik ommerst. Wat een bloedmooi portret van een liefde(s)vriendschap, een stad, een door collectief trauma en collectieve rouw getekend land. Kennedy schrijft de menselijkheid in de littekens.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"Stations" tells the story of the tumultuous friendship between Róisín and Red, all the way from their high-school days in a small Irish town in the 1980s, up until they both end up in London. A heavy read at times, "Stations" lingers a lot in the almosts of life, in the things we didn't notice or ignored because we weren't ready to face them, in the regrets and the endless questions that come with it. Louise Kennedy's writing is sparse, but creates a very tangible, vivid universe; at times I felt like I was present in all those places that Róisín and Red find themselves in. I also really appreciated the slight vagueness of happenings, which felt real and universal, after all life isn't so easy to make sense of or understand in the moment.
All this being said, I have to say I wish I'd liked this better. Maybe I went into it with different expectations. My main gripe is, I think, the pacing. The first part of this felt more substantial and compelling in a way, while the second and third parts kind of linger and fizzle out a little too much for my taste. The snapshot style we got over the course of some years didn't really help, it held me back from getting a good grasp of these characters, which brings me to my second issue. While I understood Róisín's choices and reactions, I also felt like I was kept at bay in some way from her inner life, which makes little sense as this is told from her perspective. She holds back a lot from the others, but it feels like she holds back a lot as a narrator; there always felt like there was a wall keeping me from really getting a good grasp of her. I understand that this might be more enjoyable to some readers, but not to me.
All this being said, I think I enjoyed the parts with Róisín and her mother, Una, the most - the constant back and forth, the anger and the hurt and confusion and the forgiveness and love. I was also really satisfied with the ending, and thought it was very fitting to the overall story, although I get that it might not be to everyone's taste.
Thank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!
All this being said, I have to say I wish I'd liked this better. Maybe I went into it with different expectations. My main gripe is, I think, the pacing. The first part of this felt more substantial and compelling in a way, while the second and third parts kind of linger and fizzle out a little too much for my taste. The snapshot style we got over the course of some years didn't really help, it held me back from getting a good grasp of these characters, which brings me to my second issue. While I understood Róisín's choices and reactions, I also felt like I was kept at bay in some way from her inner life, which makes little sense as this is told from her perspective. She holds back a lot from the others, but it feels like she holds back a lot as a narrator; there always felt like there was a wall keeping me from really getting a good grasp of her. I understand that this might be more enjoyable to some readers, but not to me.
All this being said, I think I enjoyed the parts with Róisín and her mother, Una, the most - the constant back and forth, the anger and the hurt and confusion and the forgiveness and love. I was also really satisfied with the ending, and thought it was very fitting to the overall story, although I get that it might not be to everyone's taste.
Thank you Bloomsbury and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy!
July 9, 2026
Its October 1982 in a small town in Ireland Roisin Mc Caffrey has been asked by a girl she doesn’t like Tina to give a letter to a guy called Red Camelin. By doing so the pair start talking and form a friendship that last years into adulthood.
When the friendship first formed Red stayed around Roisin house trying to get away from his own. Later, Red decides to move to London and Roisin decides to give up her place at Uni and follow him. At first, they live in a squat. Roisin wants more than friendship, but Red is in love with drugs and they drift apart. Not for many years later that Roisin learns abouts red’s family life.
I do love a story set in Ireland, and this is the first book that I have read from the author. I enjoyed learning about Roisin and Red complicated childhood, this is an emotional read which I kept me turning the pages, But two thirds the way in the storyline. The pace of the story changed and I started losing interest. 3.5 stars from me.
When the friendship first formed Red stayed around Roisin house trying to get away from his own. Later, Red decides to move to London and Roisin decides to give up her place at Uni and follow him. At first, they live in a squat. Roisin wants more than friendship, but Red is in love with drugs and they drift apart. Not for many years later that Roisin learns abouts red’s family life.
I do love a story set in Ireland, and this is the first book that I have read from the author. I enjoyed learning about Roisin and Red complicated childhood, this is an emotional read which I kept me turning the pages, But two thirds the way in the storyline. The pace of the story changed and I started losing interest. 3.5 stars from me.
October 17, 2026
This book had everything to be 5* for me, I anticipated it so much after loving the Trespasses with all my heart but it just did not deliver for me. I can’t believe I’m saying this. It’s well written, the story flows somewhat well too, at times it definitely had me pretty invested but that’s about it. Most of the characters were very undeveloped in my option, which is a shame because there was a big potential there. I mean the whole book had massive potential and it just was not explored and evaluated enough. The book essentially felt like a collection of life stories of some people who are somewhat connected with each other, I’ve spent a huge amount of time wondering where does this story lead exactly hoping for the ending to seal everything nicely, it didn’t really, not for me. I closed the book and thought ah well, nevermind then lol.
I feel like I have missed something seeing all these amazing reviews of people who say the book broke their heart and it was so emotional. I clearly wasn’t able to see it for that. That being said if Louise releases another book I will buy it without a doubt.
I feel like I have missed something seeing all these amazing reviews of people who say the book broke their heart and it was so emotional. I clearly wasn’t able to see it for that. That being said if Louise releases another book I will buy it without a doubt.
October 1, 2026
i remember when i read kennedy’s first book trespasses, stopping in the street to audibly gasp when that plot reached its crescendo, so i had high hopes and expectations for this. and omfg it literally blew me out of the water. one of those books that slowly creeps up on you. the writing is sparse but holds so much weight, subtlety and detail in each sentence, capturing so much about these characters, their generation, the one that came before & the one that came after. not been able to stop thinking about it all day, devod me out
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