Relatable study of grief and guilt let down by its romcom clichés

FICTION: Grace After Henry, By Eithne Shortall, Corvus, €16.45

Eithne Shortall’s Grace After Henry is an unusual mix, a blend of sex, death and a vague yet persistent sense of guilt which feels distinctly Irish. The follow-up to Shortall’s best-selling debut, 2017’s Love In Row 27 (the novel has already been translated into multiple languages and optioned for film), it begins with a bereavement: Grace loses Henry, the love of her life, in ...