Bachelor Row

Set in 1970s Dublin, this novel follows Mark, a bachelor who has built a comfortable life while still living under his mother's roof. He enjoys the creature comforts of home and guards his single status closely, moving through his days in an easygoing frame of mind in the city he is fond of. His arrangement proves too good to last. Around the corner, he is set to learn a lesson, and it comes in the form of women. Becoming involved with one of them exposes a weak spot in his defences, and then a second woman enters the picture.

His mother, an Irish mammy with firm views on his love life, offers her opinions whether he wants them or not, and Mark's life grows steadily more complicated. The result is an emotional journey that spirals out of control. Much as in real life, it is steered by a broken compass. Although the story is rooted mainly in Dublin, it also travels to the Isle of Man, London and New York.