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The Outsider
'A brilliant blend of sweeping satisfying family drama with a tense undercurrent of psychological thriller that hooks on and doesn't let go until [Hourican] delivers her last devastating page' Sunday Independent'The Outsider is everything you could want from high-end commercial fiction - it's sharp, compelling, and full of keenly observed truths about human behaviour. Emily Hourican has always been an insightful, astute writer but this may be her best novel yet.' Louise O'NeillTwo very different families ... One is loud, eccentric, rich and confident. The other is less sure of their place in life. On holidays in Portugal, a near-drowning brings the ten-year-old daughters, Jamie and Sarah, together and a friendship is formed. As the bond between the girls grows deeper, so too do the ties between their families and an unsettling closeness develops between two of the adults. Then, as Jamie begins to feel suffocated by the intensity of Sarah's friendship, cracks begin to show. What will it take to shatter the façade of friendship? The affair? The obsessive crush? And which family will be left whole? The Outsider is the compelling and unforgettable story of the complexity of friendship, marriage, hidden passions and teenage desire.
- GenresFiction
304 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 6, 2019
30 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
About the author
Emily Hourican
15 books93 followersEmily Hourican is a journalist and author. She has written features for the Sunday Independent for fifteen years, as well as Image magazine, Condé Nast Traveler and Woman and Home. She was also editor of The Dubliner Magazine.
Emily's first book, a memoir titled How To (Really) Be A Mother was published in 2013. She is also the author of novels The Privileged, White Villa, The Outsider and The Blamed, as well as two bestselling novels about the Guinness sisters: The Glorious Guinness Girls and The Guinness Girls: A Hint of Scandal.
She lives in Dublin with her family.
source: Amazon
Emily's first book, a memoir titled How To (Really) Be A Mother was published in 2013. She is also the author of novels The Privileged, White Villa, The Outsider and The Blamed, as well as two bestselling novels about the Guinness sisters: The Glorious Guinness Girls and The Guinness Girls: A Hint of Scandal.
She lives in Dublin with her family.
source: Amazon
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 26, 2019
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started THE OUTSIDERS by Emily Hourican and I'm delighted to say I was instantly gripped by this character-driven story of friendship, family, and intense relationships.
On a holiday in Portugal, two young girls accidentally meet in the pool and their lives will become entwined in such a way that it will have ripple effects for years to come for everyone in their families.
Sarah is shy and insecure, an only child, who is the complete opposite of Jamie who is boisterous and confident with three older brothers, but Sarah is over the moon to finally have a friend. Both girls and their families live in Dublin but while this holiday is a once-off for Sarah's parents where money is always tight, Jamie's wealthy family are always travelling and experiencing new things. Sarah's parents love her deeply but after trying so hard to have a child, they struggle with letting Sarah breathe and are always waiting for the sky to fall in on top of their family, while Jamie's parents are loud and laid-back, giving their children independence at every turn. They certainly make an unusual group but it works and when the families return to Ireland, the friendship continues, much to the delight of Sarah's parents who worry about her constantly. As the years and summers pass, the intense relationship that exists between the girls and their families ebbs and flows, with secrets and betrayals beginning to make their mark on all involved. And when the dynamic alters irrevocably will it mark the end of so much more than a friendship?
Compelling, almost hypnotic in its storytelling, THE OUTSIDER by Emily Hourican was the first book that I have ever read by this author but it will certainly not be my last. This drama that centred on friendship and relationships really sucked me in from the very beginning and I could not put it down. There is a dark edge to this novel which I did not expect but which I certainly enjoyed and while the characters are all equally compelling, I would find it hard to say they were likeable which makes this story all the more relatable.
With plenty to sink your teeth into, THE OUTSIDER by Emily Hourican is a haunting story about friendship, relationships, and the pressure to be something to everyone, and I highly recommend it.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started THE OUTSIDERS by Emily Hourican and I'm delighted to say I was instantly gripped by this character-driven story of friendship, family, and intense relationships.
On a holiday in Portugal, two young girls accidentally meet in the pool and their lives will become entwined in such a way that it will have ripple effects for years to come for everyone in their families.
Sarah is shy and insecure, an only child, who is the complete opposite of Jamie who is boisterous and confident with three older brothers, but Sarah is over the moon to finally have a friend. Both girls and their families live in Dublin but while this holiday is a once-off for Sarah's parents where money is always tight, Jamie's wealthy family are always travelling and experiencing new things. Sarah's parents love her deeply but after trying so hard to have a child, they struggle with letting Sarah breathe and are always waiting for the sky to fall in on top of their family, while Jamie's parents are loud and laid-back, giving their children independence at every turn. They certainly make an unusual group but it works and when the families return to Ireland, the friendship continues, much to the delight of Sarah's parents who worry about her constantly. As the years and summers pass, the intense relationship that exists between the girls and their families ebbs and flows, with secrets and betrayals beginning to make their mark on all involved. And when the dynamic alters irrevocably will it mark the end of so much more than a friendship?
Compelling, almost hypnotic in its storytelling, THE OUTSIDER by Emily Hourican was the first book that I have ever read by this author but it will certainly not be my last. This drama that centred on friendship and relationships really sucked me in from the very beginning and I could not put it down. There is a dark edge to this novel which I did not expect but which I certainly enjoyed and while the characters are all equally compelling, I would find it hard to say they were likeable which makes this story all the more relatable.
With plenty to sink your teeth into, THE OUTSIDER by Emily Hourican is a haunting story about friendship, relationships, and the pressure to be something to everyone, and I highly recommend it.
June 14, 2019
My Rating - 4.5*
'Two very different families…..
One is loud, eccentric, rich and confident.
The other is less sure of their place in life.'
The Outsider is the fourth novel from Irish writer Emily Hourican. Just published on the 6th June with Hachette Ireland, it is described as ‘a compelling and unforgettable story of the complexity of friendship, marriage, hidden passions and teenage desire’. It’s a book that I quickly became very absorbed in, as I turned the pages, following two very different families on two very different, yet interwoven, journeys.
On holidays in Portugal, an incident in a resort swimming pool marks the beginning of a friendship between two eleven year old girls, Sarah and Jamie. Sarah is an only child, born into a family where money is tight and a holiday in the sun is a very special one indeed. Yet, for Sarah, the loneliness of home has followed her here. All around her other kids are jumping into the pool, playing with friends and siblings, but Sarah remains by herself with just her imagination for company. Her Mum and Dad, Miriam and Paul, love Sarah very much but there is a reticence about them, a seriousness, which has spilled into their daily lives, leaving very little room for family fun. The day-to-day routine and the struggles of life have impacted their ability to relax, to just enjoy each other’s company and unfortunately this dreamed for holiday has not provided the happiness they were hoping for.
Jamie, also in Portugal with her family on holiday, is a super-confident child. With three older brothers, Jamie is used to the rough and tumble of life, displaying exuberance in everything she does. Jamie is the youngest daughter of Maeve and Simon, a couple who enjoy the good things and have that ‘je ne sais quoi’ attitude to life. Simon is a very successful property developer, who works hard, but also plays hard.
Jamie attracts lost things, strays, waifs and she sees something of a stray in Sarah, wanting to look after her, to welcome her into the fold of her family. Sarah laps up Jamie’s attention, this wild child who sees something in her and within days, the two families become acquainted, a holiday friendship, nothing more…..
Jamie and Sarah are both from Dublin. After the return from Portugal, Sarah craves contact with Jamie. Her mother, Miriam, could see the positive affect Jamie had on Sarah’s personality so, with a little persistence, the families are reunited once more and their lives became entwined in ways no-one could possibly have imagined.
As the years pass, circumstances change, friendships change, relationships change. The girls mature and develop. Their teenage years become a rite of passage as personalities evolve with every passing year. The parents relationship also shifts over time, reacting as events unfold.
Emily Hourican writes with such a perceptive eye, bringing to life the places, the people and the atmosphere of this beautifully written book. The Outsider is very much a character driven tale, packed with incredible observations detailing the finer intricacies of relationships. The Outsider is a coming-of-age story yet also highlights the difficulties of marriage and the challenges of parenting.
The Outsider is contemporary fiction, a captivating tale with almost a voyeuristic quality to it. I could smell the ocean in Kerry, I could feel the salt on my skin, the surf on my face. I could feel the heat off the camp fires. I could sense the discomfort of the tentative ‘firsts’ of the teenager, the jealousy, the passion. It all felt very real which is completely attributed to the skillful writing of Emily Hourican.
The Outsider is an incredibly stirring novel, a seductive tale that will captivate the reader from the opening pages. An intelligent and fascinating portrayal of human behaviour with equally intriguing characters, The Outsider is quite simply a wonderful read….
'Two very different families…..
One is loud, eccentric, rich and confident.
The other is less sure of their place in life.'
The Outsider is the fourth novel from Irish writer Emily Hourican. Just published on the 6th June with Hachette Ireland, it is described as ‘a compelling and unforgettable story of the complexity of friendship, marriage, hidden passions and teenage desire’. It’s a book that I quickly became very absorbed in, as I turned the pages, following two very different families on two very different, yet interwoven, journeys.
On holidays in Portugal, an incident in a resort swimming pool marks the beginning of a friendship between two eleven year old girls, Sarah and Jamie. Sarah is an only child, born into a family where money is tight and a holiday in the sun is a very special one indeed. Yet, for Sarah, the loneliness of home has followed her here. All around her other kids are jumping into the pool, playing with friends and siblings, but Sarah remains by herself with just her imagination for company. Her Mum and Dad, Miriam and Paul, love Sarah very much but there is a reticence about them, a seriousness, which has spilled into their daily lives, leaving very little room for family fun. The day-to-day routine and the struggles of life have impacted their ability to relax, to just enjoy each other’s company and unfortunately this dreamed for holiday has not provided the happiness they were hoping for.
Jamie, also in Portugal with her family on holiday, is a super-confident child. With three older brothers, Jamie is used to the rough and tumble of life, displaying exuberance in everything she does. Jamie is the youngest daughter of Maeve and Simon, a couple who enjoy the good things and have that ‘je ne sais quoi’ attitude to life. Simon is a very successful property developer, who works hard, but also plays hard.
Jamie attracts lost things, strays, waifs and she sees something of a stray in Sarah, wanting to look after her, to welcome her into the fold of her family. Sarah laps up Jamie’s attention, this wild child who sees something in her and within days, the two families become acquainted, a holiday friendship, nothing more…..
Jamie and Sarah are both from Dublin. After the return from Portugal, Sarah craves contact with Jamie. Her mother, Miriam, could see the positive affect Jamie had on Sarah’s personality so, with a little persistence, the families are reunited once more and their lives became entwined in ways no-one could possibly have imagined.
As the years pass, circumstances change, friendships change, relationships change. The girls mature and develop. Their teenage years become a rite of passage as personalities evolve with every passing year. The parents relationship also shifts over time, reacting as events unfold.
Emily Hourican writes with such a perceptive eye, bringing to life the places, the people and the atmosphere of this beautifully written book. The Outsider is very much a character driven tale, packed with incredible observations detailing the finer intricacies of relationships. The Outsider is a coming-of-age story yet also highlights the difficulties of marriage and the challenges of parenting.
The Outsider is contemporary fiction, a captivating tale with almost a voyeuristic quality to it. I could smell the ocean in Kerry, I could feel the salt on my skin, the surf on my face. I could feel the heat off the camp fires. I could sense the discomfort of the tentative ‘firsts’ of the teenager, the jealousy, the passion. It all felt very real which is completely attributed to the skillful writing of Emily Hourican.
The Outsider is an incredibly stirring novel, a seductive tale that will captivate the reader from the opening pages. An intelligent and fascinating portrayal of human behaviour with equally intriguing characters, The Outsider is quite simply a wonderful read….
June 16, 2020
While the early pages did not have a strong pull, that soon changed and the hook was irretrievably set! I’m wondering how I happened to order iit, actually, as I wasn’t familiar with the Irish author and there was only one goodreads friend review.. Sheltering in place must have been a factor! However, it was an addictive, absorbing read!
Family interactions dominate, along with some coming of age elements. The two families involved differ in numerous ways, as one consists of two parents and an only child, while the other is a colorful, boisterous jumble, with one girl surrounded by brothers. There are contrasts in economic status as well. Much of the action takes place in Kerry, on the sea shore, where the author’s descriptive powers are much in evidence.
‘The mist had lifted enough that the sky became two skies:: a circle of silvery gold lit up the farthest corner where the sun was setting and sending up a final rush of light, and then the rest of the sky, which was thick and dark with dense tufts of cloud.. Below, the sea was spread out like a piece of chain mail…………’
A wonderful,, sprawling old summer house provides a perfect backdrop. The joyful abandonment of a summer escape casts a heady spell over the various characters.. As the story unfolds, and the two families interact, undercurrents immerge and swell with rivalries, jealousy and insecurities. The mx of characters rings true. Along with the exhilaration and abandonment of holiday living is the pathos of adult relationships. Again, the author writes with such skill that she is able to portray pain in relationships convincingly.
‘They walk around each other as if there are holes they might fall into. They talk to each other politely, but I can’t remember the last time either of them laughed at something the other said.’
This story enveloped me! I lived it through to the end, and what an end it was! An amazing find! 5 easy stars!
Family interactions dominate, along with some coming of age elements. The two families involved differ in numerous ways, as one consists of two parents and an only child, while the other is a colorful, boisterous jumble, with one girl surrounded by brothers. There are contrasts in economic status as well. Much of the action takes place in Kerry, on the sea shore, where the author’s descriptive powers are much in evidence.
‘The mist had lifted enough that the sky became two skies:: a circle of silvery gold lit up the farthest corner where the sun was setting and sending up a final rush of light, and then the rest of the sky, which was thick and dark with dense tufts of cloud.. Below, the sea was spread out like a piece of chain mail…………’
A wonderful,, sprawling old summer house provides a perfect backdrop. The joyful abandonment of a summer escape casts a heady spell over the various characters.. As the story unfolds, and the two families interact, undercurrents immerge and swell with rivalries, jealousy and insecurities. The mx of characters rings true. Along with the exhilaration and abandonment of holiday living is the pathos of adult relationships. Again, the author writes with such skill that she is able to portray pain in relationships convincingly.
‘They walk around each other as if there are holes they might fall into. They talk to each other politely, but I can’t remember the last time either of them laughed at something the other said.’
This story enveloped me! I lived it through to the end, and what an end it was! An amazing find! 5 easy stars!
September 9, 2021
Needs more substance?
I enjoyed the detail of the main characters jamie and sarah you really got to know them well.
But I felt as if there were so many aspects that could have been developed. Should have been. Otherwise what was the point in adding it? Like Luke and Sarah could have been something that might have added some spice, layers to her and Jamie's falling out.
Miriam and Simon got away with their affair.. Maeve was so nonchalant about it? It was almost pointless the affair. I get it might be the style of the book but it just seemed there was no big things happening. It was just like reading the normal things that happen in peoples lives. No proper consequences to the actions.
Also Sarah just becomes a popular girl and gets everything in the end but that's it? Nothing happens really.. her and Jamie do not make up or have that talk. It's just a casual read. Very casual storyline.
I dont regret reading it but I would never recommend it to anyone.
I enjoyed the detail of the main characters jamie and sarah you really got to know them well.
But I felt as if there were so many aspects that could have been developed. Should have been. Otherwise what was the point in adding it? Like Luke and Sarah could have been something that might have added some spice, layers to her and Jamie's falling out.
Miriam and Simon got away with their affair.. Maeve was so nonchalant about it? It was almost pointless the affair. I get it might be the style of the book but it just seemed there was no big things happening. It was just like reading the normal things that happen in peoples lives. No proper consequences to the actions.
Also Sarah just becomes a popular girl and gets everything in the end but that's it? Nothing happens really.. her and Jamie do not make up or have that talk. It's just a casual read. Very casual storyline.
I dont regret reading it but I would never recommend it to anyone.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 5, 2022
An extremely well written drama about two families who first meet on holiday. One is loud, colourful and rich, the other rather timid. A friendship develops around the two daughters, who are the same age (11), and we follow the relationships with families over the next few years. I wanted to give this book 5 stars because it's such a compelling story, and the description of the beach at Kerry was so vivid it will stay with me a long time, but some of the characters were unbelievably awful. First the mothers - Miriam is mousy at first, Maeve vivid. But how does Miriam thank Maeve for her friendship? By having an affair with her husband! Maeve, on the other hand, is a wonderful, generous person who raises her kids to tidy litter from the beach. And then I have to turn to Miriam's daughter Sarah. At first the author invokes sympathy for this shy girl, but her dependence on the much more interesting Jamie s portrayed as increasingly pathetic. Luke, one of Jamie's brother, calls her Shadowcat and later "Blood group AB, the universal recipient" Spot on. All Sarah does for years is receive kindness from this family. He own family becomes rich as the result of business advice from the rich father to the poor. Then in her teens, Sarah blossoms and becomes beautiful, and does something so appalling to Jamie that it destroys her. I don't remember ever hating a literary character so much and am still angry that Sarah never got her comeuppance, though at least Maeve recognized her for the nasty piece of work she became. But the fact that this book engaged my emotions so profoundly, shows the quality of the writing and characterization. I will be reading more from this author.
March 9, 2021
Conflicted because I enjoyed this book (Emily Hourican's complicated female characters never disappoint) but there was also way too much going on. It probably would have benefited with more time focused on Jamie and Sarah, and the ending came almost suddenly?
I also found the betrayal and Sarah's complete 180 in attitude and personality frustrating, maybe because until that point I had related to Sarah, as a 'Shadowcat', a shy girl who feels out of place. Maybe I took it personally when she then took power from a malicious and cruel act (which we can see it is from her inner dialogue, not a drunken mistake). I don't know.
I also found the betrayal and Sarah's complete 180 in attitude and personality frustrating, maybe because until that point I had related to Sarah, as a 'Shadowcat', a shy girl who feels out of place. Maybe I took it personally when she then took power from a malicious and cruel act (which we can see it is from her inner dialogue, not a drunken mistake). I don't know.
January 8, 2021
I really enjoyed this book, more than I expected to. I thought it might be more of a chick-lit story but it wasn’t. I certainly sympathised with Sarah and Miriam, at least initially, because I too would like to be linked to such a rumbumptious family, where there’s lots going on and many people to talk to and do things with.
December 11, 2022
The thing that bugged me the most about this book, and which made it almost impossible to be enjoyable, is the writing style. It is competent, sure, but it also tries too hard. I did not enjoy reading this.
January 4, 2024
Ever feel like a outsider?
Most of us know what it feels to be the outsider in something! I could see this, yet the parents, the friends didn't seem to care much until too late. This is the second book I've read, will definitely read more!
Most of us know what it feels to be the outsider in something! I could see this, yet the parents, the friends didn't seem to care much until too late. This is the second book I've read, will definitely read more!
June 15, 2025
Why are all the women unemployed and reliant on men? I think that was my main issue. Sure they are complicated and developed characters, but the dependency and creation of their image around the men annoyed me. Also, the first half was a very slow story.
May 17, 2021
Good story. Easy to read after a bit of a stale patch. Nice one to ease back into reading with.
January 4, 2026
Loved it ! Couldn't put it down - I can't believe more isn't being said about this author or her book
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews