The Irish Goodbye

As an Irish-American family gathers for Thanksgiving weekend at their home on Long Island, they must confront the decades-old tragedy that haunts them all.

Three adult sisters reunited at their childhood home must confront a shared tragedy in The Irish Goodbye - the devastatingly beautiful debut novel from Heather Aimee O'Neill.

It's been years since the three Ryan sisters were all home together at their family's beloved house on Long Island. Two decades ago, their lives were upended by a tragic accident on their brother Topher's boat that drove him to suicide. Now, the Ryan women are back for Thanksgiving, but each carries a heavy secret.

The eldest, Cait, is still holding guilt for the role no one knows she played in the boat accident, when she rekindles a flame with her high school crush, Topher's best friend. Middle sister, Alice, has been thrown a curveball threatening her career and, potentially, her marriage. And the youngest, Maggie, is finally taking the risk to bring the woman she loves home to her devoutly Catholic mother.

When Cait invites a guest to Thanksgiving dinner, old tensions boil over and new truths surface. Far more than a family holiday will be ruined unless the sisters can find a way to forgive themselves - and each other.

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Autorentext
Heather Aimee O'Neill is the Assistant Director of the Sackett Street Writers' Workshop and the author of the poetry collection Obliterations (Red Hen Press / co-authored with Jessica Piazza) and the poetry chapbook Memory Future (Gold Line Press Award). As a writing teacher and developmental editor, she has helped hundreds of writers tell their stories. She lives in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, with her wife and two sons. This is her first novel.