Promotional Information

A wise, thoughtful, beautifully observed and impossible-to-put-down portrait of a marriage

About the Author

The Home Scar is Kathleen MacMahon's fourth novel. Her debut, This is How it Ends, spent five weeks at the top of the bestseller lists in Ireland, and was a Richard and Judy Book Club choice in the UK. It was followed by The Long, Hot Summer, also a bestseller in Ireland, and Nothing But Blue Sky, which was nominated for the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2021. Kathleen is a former radio and television journalist with Ireland's national broadcaster, RT , and she lives in Dublin with her family.

Reviews

A poignant, gentle and astutely observed novel about marriage and the evolution of love
*Sunday Times, Novels of the Year 2020*

A piece of perfection - a subtle, thought-provoking investigation of a marriage. It rings true. It's the best book I've read all year
*Irish Examiner*

What a beautiful novel ... elegant, understated, subtly powerful, and rings so perfectly true ... Beautiful, poignant moments, drawn with such quiet power. And that quiet power is alive and at work on every page
*Donal Ryan*

Beautiful and moving
*Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled Ground*

Insightful and deeply moving, this is a story of one man's grief that somehow manages to hold onto its sense of humour. I loved this book
*Christine Dwyer Hickey*

Skilfully written with a wonderful lightness of touch ... An acutely observed portrait of a relationship ... filled with astute observations of human behaviour
*Irish Times*

Kathleen MacMahon's prose could not appear more effortless or beautiful
*Sunday Independent*

Heart-rending ... a tender and beautiful [love story] ... MacMahon's words ring with the honesty of truth, offering genuine insight into the human condition
*Business Post*

A tender dissection of marriage
*Independent*

This elegant, tender novel is an absolute pleasure
*Best*

A beautifully written and powerful tale
*Woman & Home*

Gentle and triumphant, MacMahon offers us a novel steeped in beautiful prose and poignant tenderness
*Anne Griffin*

The most beautiful prose I have read in years ... Not only my favourite novel of the year, but possibly of the decade
*Sunday Independent*

I've been recommending Nothing But Blue Sky to anyone who'll listen ... It's about grief and eulogising and getting into the "habit of happiness" and I just loved it
*Irish Times, Best Books of 2020*

Beautiful ... A gentle but deeply affecting read, and the perfect reminder of how sadness and hope can sometimes live side by side
*Woman's Way*

Sure and subtle, MacMahon holds the reader in her spell. She is a born storyteller
*Mike McCormack*

Kathleen MacMahon has written an absorbing, grave, and emotionally resonant study of a marriage, of a life, of masculinity and of grief. A marvellous achievement
*Neil Hegarty*

Kathleen MacMahon sensitively explores the complexities of the human heart and reveals how even in the depths of grief, unexpected light can emerge from the darkness
*David Park*

Full of humour and brims with the warmth of family, friendship and the possibility of second chances
*Irish Sunday People*

An elegantly written and moving account of one man coming to terms with the sudden death of his wife
*Irish Times Magazine*

Excellent (and darkly funny) ... A sensitive, nuanced, and ultimately hopeful exploration of grief
*Irish Examiner*

Full of humour and brims with the warmth of family, friendship and the possibility of second chances
*Sunday Mirror*

Touching and enthralling
*Sunday Times*

Stunning
*via Twitter*

A tender portrait of a marriage and how we are formed by our closest relationships
*Good Housekeeping*

Heart-wrenching ... Almost a parable, it's a cautionary tale for those failing to appreciate just how short life can be
*RTÉ Culture*

It's rare to read an account of a happy normal marriage and she does it brilliantly
*Sue Leonard*

Kathleen MacMahon writes with a confidence and ease and with an unerring sense of timing
*Irish Times*

Nothing But Blue Sky is quiet and thoughtful and very moving - Claire Fuller
*Claire Fuller*