Stations
Ireland United Kingdom

Stations

by Louise Kennedy

Summary

In a small Irish town in 1982, Róisín and Red form an intense bond as two sharp-minded teenagers who feel out of place in their own lives. Red is rebellious and troubled, while Róisín carries the pain of growing up with an absent father and a difficult home life. When Red’s encounter with the law forces him to leave Ireland for England, their connection survives across distance, becoming a fragile thread linking them through the years.

Eventually, Róisín travels to London to visit her estranged father and finds Red again, moving into his squat in Pimlico. But the life he has chosen is darker and more complicated than she imagined, and the pair gradually drift apart. Even as their paths diverge, Róisín remains haunted by her unfulfilled passion for him. Moving between Ireland and London over decades, Stations explores first love, addiction, friendship, and the lasting consequences of youthful choices. It asks whether we can release the people who shaped us—and whether learning to love someone else begins with learning to love ourselves.

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Louise Kennedy
Louise Kennedy

Louise Kennedy is an Irish novelist who grew up near Belfast and later settled in Sligo, Ireland. Before becoming a writer, she worked as a chef for almost thirty years. Her writing has appeared in publications including The Guardian and The Irish Times, and her short-story collection The End of the World Is a Cul de Sac established her as a distinctive voice in contemporary Irish literature. Her debut novel, Trespasses (2022), received widespread acclaim for its portrayal of love and everyday life during the Troubles. It won the 2022 An Post Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year and the 2023 McKitterick Prize, and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Kennedy is known for her sharp characterisation, emotional precision, and exploration of how political conflict shapes private lives.

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Published
2026
Author
Louise Kennedy