Irish Fiction: There are elements of this story that readers of Irish fiction will have encountered before, writes Clare Hutton. A young woman from rural Ireland - in this case, Eve, from Dingle - moves to London and begins a passionate relationship with an older man - in this case, Patrick, her South African boss, who is father to Kate, a fiery and unpredictable teenager.
The traditional narrative of sexual liberation in England dictates that it should all end in tears, with the embittered woman being returned to home ground and emerging wiser, or pregnant (or both). But this début novel takes the story in new directions, by exploring the emotional consequences and difficulties of marital breakdown, particularly for children. Kate is reluctant to accept Eve ("why don't you stick with people your own age?"), and forces her to consider the responsibilities associated with becoming a step-parent. These experiences make Eve question the separation of her own parents in pre-divorce Ireland, their subsequent relationships, and her mother's continued emotional froideur.
The novel also explores Eve's sense of cultural dislocation in London, which is magnified when she compares her own wish to continue belonging in Ireland despite her absence ("it'll always be a part of me"), with Patrick's markedly nonchalant attitudes to post-apartheid South Africa.
The plot, which is mainly concerned with the development of the relationship between Eve and Patrick, is deftly narrated in a light romantic style (although the title, with its allusion to the love poetry of John Donne, suggests a level of literariness to which the novel does not aspire).
The denouement is both gripping and surprising, and the book will satisfy those looking for a good summer read.
Clare Hutton researches Irish book history at the Institute of English Studies, University of London
One Room an Everywhere. By Catherine Phil MacCarthy Blackstaff Press, 184pp, £6.99