IF WALLS COULD TALK

Grainger’s series-starting novel tells of four women in the Irish countryside as they grapple with their pasts and seek to make something better of their futures.

In the present day, Orla Moriarty’s life is turned completely upside down when her husband of 31 years leaves her for another woman. Now, as a single mother of three grown children, she must figure out what lies ahead for them all. Meanwhile, her friend Audrey Walsh seemingly has her life all figured out—until her son announces that he’s moving to Australia, the land of her birth, and she decides she must stop him from going, no matter the cost. Safira, a young woman from Bali, begins renting Dunmara House, the estate after which the town was named; she hopes to do something extraordinary with it, but all might not go according to plan. In a plotline set in 1971, a young woman named Jeannie McMillan is sent by her mother to Dunmara House to conceal her unplanned pregnancy and protect her from scandal. While there, she meets the kindly Johnny Daly, who will make her whole situation brighter. The threads of these women’s lives soon weave together, with the narrative always centering on the aforementioned Dunmara House, a beautiful and ancient place filled with Irish history. As Safira says, “I think this house has a personality. It’s hard to describe, but I think it welcomes people.” Grainger’s prose is unremarkable in style, but her character work is spectacular. Each and every individual character feels fully realized and distinct, with flaws and struggles but never without strength, charm, and, above all, resilience. This is the kind of story that leaves readers feeling hopeful while reminding them of all that’s good and beautiful in the world. Upon putting this volume down, readers will likely feel an urge to reach out to their loved ones to grab a coffee and chat.

An inspiring novel of strong female friendships.