Mayo author publishes his debut novel
IN these days of everyone being around the house so much, a local author has penned a novel firmly set in the home – the neat little terraced abode of Mrs. Delia Meade.
Delia lives at 109, Bog Road, a historic street in a small west of Ireland town.
Everything has its place in Delia’s, from the soft-cushioned armchairs by the copper tongs hanging at the red-tiled mantlepiece, to her china set at the top shelf of the sideboard overlooking her back yard.
Even her neighbours know where they should go when they visit, including Mrs. Freeley from 108, who arrives each morning for tea and Marietta biscuits as she lights endless More cigarettes while remarking on the politics of the day.
When Delia’s last child moves away with her young family to the country, Delia tackles the tiny room under the stairs known as the Glory-hole. Amongst the dusty photographs, neatly folded clothes and delicate ornaments, Delia embarks on a strange and wondrous journey through eight decades of her life to a very distant walk on a sunny boreen with her twin Maisie and an event that would become the soundtrack to her life.
After the success of The Rainy Day, Martin Keaveney’s debut collection of short stories, he has returned with his debut novel which reaches the shelves this month. While The Rainy Day focused on the lives of farmers and those belonging to them, Delia Meade untangles many intricacies of urban and home life.
Keaveney recently completed a PhD in Creative Writing and Textual Studies at NUIG, where he wrote on John McGahern’s The Dark and a novel which is scheduled for publication in 2021. Keaveney was awarded the Sparanacht Ui Either for his research in 2016. He teaches creative writing online, at MLSETB, NUIG and Galway Arts Centre. See more on Martin at www.martinkeaveney.com.
The book can be purchased through mayoboooks.ie and via click-and-collect from the Castle Bookshop, Castlebar.
Keaveney read an excerpt of Delia Meade during Culture Night 2020. The reading is online at the Castle Bookshop’s Facebook page.
Delia Meade is published by Penniless Press, Warrington, UK.