The Island of Longing : The emotional, unforgettable Top Ten Irish bestseller

Author: Griffin, Anne

Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945)

Published on 8 February 2024 by Hodder & Stoughton (Sceptre) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 368 pages
197 x 129 x 26 | 256g

WOULD YOU EVER GIVE UP ON FINDING YOUR CHILD, IF THEY VANISHED WITHOUT A TRACE?Number One Irish bestselling author of When All is Said Anne Griffin returns with this beautiful, emotional novel about love, loss, family and hope that will break your heart . . . but also put it back together again.

THE IRISH BESTSELLER THAT EVERYONE IS RAVING ABOUT:'Stunning . . . I loved it' LIZ NUGENT'Elegant and moving' JOHN BOYNE'A storyteller of rate gifts' JOSEPH O'CONNOR'A beautiful, emotive mystery' CHRIS WHITAKER'Gently heartbreaking, but also hopeful and uplifting. An insight into the fragility of the human condition and what holds us together when we break' IRISH TIMESOne unremarkable afternoon, Rosie watched her daughter Saoirse cycle into town, expecting to hear the slam of the door when she returned a few hours later. But the slam never came.

Eight years on, after an extensive investigation into her disappearance, Rosie is the only person who stubbornly believes that her child might still be alive. When Rosie receives a call from her father, asking her to return home for the summer, she is forced out of her limbo. Life on the island of Roaring Bay revives old rivalries, but it also brings new friendships and unexpected solace.

Yet, when a sudden glimmer of hope appears, Rosie is forced to face an impossible question: is she right to think that Saoirse is still alive? Or will her belief that her daughter will one day return to her come at the cost of everything she has left?'This book consumed me' DISHA BOSE'A hauntingly beautiful tale' SUNDAY POST'Tender and wise and life-affirming' KATHLEEN MACMAHON'A compelling novel about the healing power of community' SARAH GILMARTIN'Griffin's writing is as engaging and compassionate as ever: The Island of Longing is a superb novel that tussles with the hope and heartbreak of being alive' DANIELLE MCLAUGHLIN'This beautiful novel about maternal love is especially moving on the back and forth between hope and acceptance' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'One of Griffin's great gifts is how she draws small-town communities and the personalities that make them what they are' IRISH SUNDAY TIMES