Kennedy brings the reader into what it feels like to live and grow up in an area of constant conflict. Who can you trust, how do you gain footing in a constantly shifting landscape? ( )

Trespasses just ticked all the boxes for me.

Cushla Lavery is a Catholic primary school teacher by day, works evening shifts in the family-owned bar and cares for her alcoholic mother at home. Then Michael Agnew, a married barrister twice her age and Protestant, walks into her life and she takes coatless Davey McGeown, one of her 7-year-old pupils, under her wing after drenching him on the way to school. Coincidences and acts of kindness that change the course of lives.

Trespasses is set in mid-seventies Belfast at the height of the troubles. Walking on eggshells, looking over your shoulder and under your car, being in the wrong place at the wrong time, raids, blockades and humiliation - the palpable tension is ever present throughout the book, acts of random sectarian violence a grim reality.

I loved the intriguing prologue and definitive epilogue that fast forward to 2015 and the characterisation of the pub regulars and Irish language evening class attendees. The wry, light-hearted banter peppering the heartbreak made me smile. And the crushed gorse flowers, Cushla’s anguish, Davey’s satchel of treasures and his letter to Jim moved me to tears.

Gritty, thought-provoking and relevant

Five stars all day long. ( )

Belfast, late 70's, amid some of the darkest days of the Troubles. Cushla Lavery, teacher of age sevens, 24 and a half (what's with the half?), unmarried, living at home with alcoholic mother, meets and falls in love with Michael Agnew, a protestant lawyer who defends the indefensible, both sides, angers everyone. He's older, outrageously handsome, unhappy in his marriage-but that's a complicated situation. Everything is complicated. I kept seeing elements of a romance novel crammed into this searing portrait of a terrible time- when being compassionate and acting on it can lead to unintended disaster in the blink of an eye, when falling love can lead to something more than heartbreak between you and your lover. Upon reflection too, I think this was a true love affair: both of these characters act on their values--they both take risks and work responsibly to care for those around them as best they can. No wonder they are drawn to one another. Agnew's work is more public, but Cushla cares for those in her orbit, a child in trouble, her mother and so forth. The writing is emotionally contained, you could even say flattened, but you can sense the tension in holding that position. Kennedy stays in a fairly close third and yet it seems more distant as she maintains that tone, in part because the story is being told many years on. Within the present of the main book the reader is moved from setting to setting, scenes only without a lot of explanation and it works brilliantly, might be technically the best craft aspect. A good novel, good story, well done. **** ( )

I enjoyed this a lot. It's very well written, moving and sad. she could have gone deeper emotionally but i think it's a good read. ( )

This acclaimed debut novel is set in the darkest days of Northern Ireland's Troubles. The setting and characters are extremely vivid, and I enjoyed it, although I have a few quibbles. The adulterous romance was a big negative, as was the excessive drinking and smoking. I know it's of the time and place, but such a downer nonetheless. The Irish slang was also somewhat baffling. On the other hand, I did enjoy the scenes of Cushla (main character) as a teacher and caregiver to many of those around her. And there is some nice wit and humor. As a debut novel, it holds together pretty well. I will look forward to more from this author. ( )