Debut novel from Mayo author a thrilling tale
A LITTLE nugget of encouragement from her English teacher was a stepping stone to a Mayo native publishing her first novel.
Marie O’Connor's book, Whispers On Main Street, is set in early 1960s Mayo and is a thrilling tale of murder, gossip and a town divided.
The Turlough native had the idea for Whispers On Main Street for a long time and wanted to write a story that brought out the best in Irish society, with a vivid, colourful story full of adventure.
Available from February 1, her debut novel delivers just that.
Marie grew up in a happy home five miles outside Castlebar, with two older brothers. “While we got on fine there were numerous occasions, of course, when I was left to play on my own but I think this only encouraged my imagination,” she says.
Her father has passed nearly three years ago now but Marie's mother is in her early nineties and going strong.
Of her interest in writing, she explained: “I attended Davitt College Secondary School in Castlebar and I loved it. I had great friends and teachers.
“I will always remember my English teacher, the late Mr. Brendan Munnelly. I recall him asking my class to write an essay from a choice of titles. I went for 'I was there' and I wrote a composition from the viewpoint of someone surviving the Titanic.
“Mr. Munnelly liked it. It was the only one he read out to the class. He probably forgot all about it after that but I will always remember that little nugget of the personal encouragement that was evidently one of stepping stones to get me to where I am now with my debut novel.”
That novel sees Nate Wheatley running a mobile grocery service travelling around the villages near the town of Ballantur in the year 1961. His service isn't merely a purveyor of goods - it's the lifeblood of communication among the isolated townlands. Nate loves to gossip, and relishes his role as the town's unofficial newsman, weaving tales from one doorstep to the next.
Garda Caitlín Kennedy - who is one of the first Bangharda in Ireland - has been sent to Ballantur for duty. Her first day and first mission is a disaster, her second does not go any better. Her temperamental boss, Sergeant Lamb, is not impressed.
One evening there is a garda raid on the local pub and Nate’s wife - Barbara - is caught in a passionate embrace with the local postman, Sammy Joyce. Their romantic entanglement becomes a public spectacle, witnessed by the entire town, and by an enraged Nate, who physically assaults Sammy and threatens him.
As morning light breaks the following day over Ballantur, Sammy's lifeless body is discovered by the roadside, the apparent victim of a seemingly random hit and run - or is it?
As the town grapples with grief and suspicion, the stage is set for this riveting tale of murder and betrayal that takes the reader from the utterly local to the truly global - to London, New York, Berlin, as far as Hawaii. But the case’s resolution rests close to home, amidst the secrets and whispers on Main Street.
Having worked as a window dresser for a leading Irish retailer and as a digital editor in television, being creative every day was literally part of Marie O’Connor’s job.
Marie worked in Dublin for several years but ultimately felt the pull of the west again, and is now living and working in Galway City.