Dublin Literary Award 2019

Idaho unfolds around a shocking act of violence and the long emotional aftermath that follows. Ruskovich explores memory, guilt, and forgiveness through shifting perspectives and fractured chronology. The Idaho landscape looms large, echoing the characters’ isolation. Silence becomes a form of both protection and punishment. The prose is spare yet emotionally charged. A haunting meditation on love and loss.

A modern retelling of Antigone, this novel explores family loyalty and political extremism in contemporary Britain. Shamsie balances intimate emotion with public consequence. The narrative shifts between perspectives, deepening moral complexity. Love collides with ideology. The story unfolds with tragic inevitability. A powerful examination of belonging and justice.

Énard’s novel unfolds over a sleepless night as a musicologist reflects on love, illness, and Europe’s relationship with the Middle East. The narrative blends essay, memory, and travelogue. Intellectual curiosity pulses through every page. Longing and cultural exchange intertwine. The prose is dense but lyrical. An expansive meditation on connection across borders.

Rooney’s debut follows two young women navigating friendship, love, and power in contemporary Dublin. The novel captures emotional awkwardness with precision. Dialogue drives the narrative, revealing vulnerability and self-consciousness. Politics and intimacy quietly overlap. The tone is cool but deeply perceptive. A sharp portrait of modern relationships.

Set over a single night in a cemetery, Saunders’ novel blends historical fact with ghostly voices. Abraham Lincoln mourns his young son amid a chorus of the dead. The form is playful, fragmented, and deeply moving. Grief becomes communal and strange. Humour and sorrow coexist. A daring, compassionate experiment in narrative.

Exit West uses elements of magical realism to explore migration and displacement. Doors appear that transport refugees instantly across borders. Hamid focuses on love amid uncertainty rather than spectacle. The prose is calm and compassionate. Global crisis is rendered through intimate moments. A humane, imaginative response to a defining issue of our time.

Set in post-war Europe, this novel follows a young boy whose past is marked by displacement and trauma. Seiffert writes with restraint, allowing emotional weight to accumulate quietly. Questions of belonging and moral responsibility linger beneath the surface. The legacy of war shapes every relationship. The narrative resists easy resolution. A subtle, deeply affecting exploration of aftermath.

This novel traces the life of a village after the disappearance of a teenage girl. McGregor avoids sensationalism, focusing instead on communal rhythms and passing time. Nature cycles on, indifferent to human tragedy. Grief disperses rather than resolves. The prose is restrained and observant. A quietly radical approach to loss.

Set in rural Minnesota, this novel follows a teenage girl entangled in a family’s dark secrets. Fridlund creates an atmosphere of unease and isolation. Moral responsibility is constantly deferred and distorted. Nature is watchful and indifferent. The narrative withholds judgment, forcing the reader to sit with discomfort. A tense, unsettling debut.

This quiet novel follows an elderly couple on a short holiday in Amsterdam. Small moments carry decades of shared history. MacLaverty’s prose is gentle and precise. Memory and regret surface subtly. Love is expressed through habit rather than declaration. A tender meditation on long marriage and mortality.