THE EFFECT OF HER

A masterful novel in the spirit of Colm Toibin and William Trevor that centers on an ensemble of magnetic characters in Ireland in the seventies and how the large scale events of that tumultuous decade trickled down to change the course of their lives.

Mags Perry has fled a loveless marriage and returned from England where she picks up what work she can find as a freelance journalist and discovers that, while her impending divorce might have made her a pariah in traditional Irish society, the burgeoning Women’s Movement offers her an opportunity to join in the fight for a better, fairer republic -- and if possible, find a different kind of love along the way.

Francis Strong leaves his provincial, working-class home for University bringing with him an almost mythical notion of Dublin. It's the 70's, he's a literature student, and freedom beckons -- but does he know what kind of freedom he is looking for? And is it to be found in the capital?

Seemingly remote from such trivial human affairs is CJ, the one-time cabinet minister who is now in the political wilderness after getting mixed up in an arms scandal and pursuing an affair with the society wife of a high court judge. Yet as he ruthlessly seeks a return to power, his decisions could impact -- for better or worse -- the lives of everyone in Ireland.

The narrative is incredibly rich, funny and character-led; the style is decidedly un-showy and transporting. Stembridge’s ability to capture the emergence of feminism into Irish life is mesmerizing and the slow and wobbly coming of age of the young characters during their campus years is affectingly comic and beautifully rendered.

Gerry Stembridge is an Irish writer, director and actor.