Eggshells

Book excerpt: Irish Book of the Year Finalist An Amazon “Best Books of the Year So Far” An Irish Times Book Club Selection An eccentric young woman searches for friendship, understanding, and belonging as she roams Dublin in this “wildly funny” debut from an exciting voice in Irish literature (New York Times Book Review) Vivian doesn't feel like she fits in—and never has. As a child, she was so whimsical that her parents told her she was “left by fairies.” Now, living alone in Dublin, she finds herself without a friend in the world. So, she decides it’s time to change her life: She begins by advertising for a friend. Not just any friend. She wants one named Penelope. Meanwhile, Vivian roams the city, mapping out a new neighborhood every day, seeking her escape route to a better world, the other world her parents told her she came from. And then one day someone named Penelope answers her ad for a friend. And from that moment on, Vivian's life begins to change. Debut author Caitriona Lally offers readers an exhilaratingly fresh take on the Irish love for lyricism, humor, and inventive wordplay in a book that is, in itself, deeply charming, and deeply moving.