TheEnd of the World is a Cul de Sac

A major new literary voice that moves deftly between the domestic and the political, for readers of Ali Smith and Sarah MossLouise Kennedy's short stories and debut novel were acquired by Bloomsbury in a hotly contested, nine-way auction. Her novel, to be published in 2022, will be set against the backdrop of the Troubles in 1970s IrelandLouise Kennedy was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Prize in both 2019 and 2020. The award is known for discovering unknown talents: Sally Rooney got her first break when shortlisted in 2017Louise Kennedy grew up in Holywood, Co. Down. Her short stories have appeared in journals including The Stinging Fly, The Tangerine, Banshee, Wasifiri and Ambit and she has written for the Guardian, Irish Times, BBC Radio 4 and RTE Radio 1. Her work has won prizes and she was shortlisted for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award in both 2019 and 2020. Before starting her writing career, she spent nearly thirty years working as a chef. She lives in Sligo with her husband and two children.'Darkly funny, beautifully crafted, intense ... Outstanding' Kevin Barry A TIMES, IRISH TIMES AND IRISH INDEPENDENT HIGHLIGHT FOR 2021 The secrets people kept, the lies they told. In these visceral, stunningly crafted stories, people are effortlessly cruel to one another, and the natural world is a primitive salve. Here, women are domestically trapped by predatorial men, Ireland's folklore and politics loom large, and poverty - material, emotional, sexual - seeps through every crack. A wife is abandoned by her new husband in a ghost estate, with blood on her hands; a young woman is tormented by visions of the man murdered by her brother during the Troubles; a pregnant mother fears the worst as her husband grows illegal cannabis with the help of a vulnerable teenage girl; a woman struggles to forgive herself after an abortion threatens to destroy her marriage. Announcing a major new voice in literary fiction for the twenty-first century, these sharp shocks of stories offer flashes of beauty, and even humour, amidst the harshest of truths.Announcing a major new voice, The End of World is a Cul de Sac is the debut short story collection from the twice shortlisted Sunday Times Audible Short Story Prize writer Louise KennedyDarkly funny, beautifully crafted, intense - this is an outstanding first collection from a natural story writerLouise Kennedy's collection will stop you in your tracks . . . Profound, beautiful and essentialA hugely impressive and memorable collection. I adored these downbeat, stirring, disconcerting, punchy, touching, believable short stories, so skilfully and beautifully executedWhat a collection of stories! One of the best I've ever read: funny and searing and true