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‘A perfect book club read … Assured and powerful’ SUNDAY TIMES
‘A compelling, compassionate page-turner’ OBSERVER
‘I loved this novel … An addictive read’ GILLIAN ANDERSON
‘Moves between rage, forgiveness and hope … A stonkingly good novel’ SARAH WINMAN
‘A beautiful, accomplished debut’ LOUISE KENNEDY
‘Impressive’ TLS
‘An absolute triumph … I loved everything about it’ GILL HORNBY

It’s 1994 in County Donegal, Ireland, and everyone is talking about Colette Crowley – the writer, the bohemian, the woman who left her husband and sons to pursue a relationship with a married man in Dublin. But now Colette is back, and nobody knows why.

Returning to the community to try and reclaim her old life, Colette quickly learns that they are unwilling to give it back to her. The man to whom she is still married is denying her access to her children, and while the legalisation of divorce might be just around the corner, Colette finds herself caught between her old life and the freedom for which she risked everything. Desperate to see her children, she enlists the help of Izzy, a housewife and mother of two, and the women forge a friendship that will send them on a spiralling journey – one toward a path of self-discovery, and the other toward tragedy.

Brilliantly observed from a sharp new literary talent, The Coast Road is a novel about a closed community and the consequences of daring to move against the tide.

Publisher Review

A smashing debut … Each of the characters is vividly rendered, and Murrin excels at portraying the rippling consequences of small-town gossip and intolerance. This is a marvel * Publishers Weekly * Cheating husbands and wayward wives in a tiny coastal town, set during a time when divorce in Ireland was illegal, Alan Murrin’s The Coast Road had me at hello. The writing is spare and elegant, the setting atmospheric – indeed, Murrin’s Ardglas is a character in its own right. An assured, gripping debut from an author I hope to read more of — Jamie Quatro, author of FIRE SERMON I loved this novel. All the female characters are complex and fascinating, and full of anger and hope. I found it an addictive read — Gillian Anderson Cheating husbands and wayward wives in a tiny coastal town, set during a time when divorce in Ireland was illegal, Alan Murrin’s The Coast Road had me at hello. The writing is spare and elegant, the setting atmospheric – indeed, Murrin’s Ardglas is a character in its own right. An assured, gripping debut from an author I hope to read more of — Jamie Quatro, author of FIRE SERMON Alan Murrin is a gifted storyteller, his characters so fully realised I fretted for them as I read. A beautiful, accomplished debut — Louise Kennedy, author of TRESPASSES Psychologically rich, emotionally resonant, and powered by a vivid cast of characters, The Coast Road explores the intimacies that bind individuals and communities together – for better and for worse. This is an incredibly satisfying novel, told with great tenderness and tremendous storytelling verve. A book to be savoured — Colin Walsh, author of KALA Alan Murrin writes with the calm, poetic fluency of the best of Irish writers. The Coast Road is set in Donegal the year before divorce became legal in Ireland, and the many themes are equally – sadly – as relevant now. Women’s autonomy is beautifully scrutinised in a shifting tempo that moves between rage, forgiveness and hope. It’s a stonkingly good novel. Just read it — Sarah Winman, bestselling author of STILL LIFE This beautifully atmospheric novel is a dark, unsettling warning about how easily narrow attitudes can turn into dangerous ones. An eerie, urgent debut from an exciting new voice — Neil Blackmore, author of RADICAL LOVE Propelled by a gripping narrative and powerfully drawn characters The Coast Road makes for compulsive reading. Alan Murrin has written a poignant, utterly truthful story of passions prejudice and tragedy in a small town. Brilliant — Gabriel Byrne, prizewinning actor and author of WALKING WITH GHOSTS An exceptional debut about marriage and freedom, about love and the ways it can heal and hurt us. A must read for 2024 — Sarah Crossan, author of HERE IS THE BEEHIVE If the book club queen Reese Witherspoon relocated to the Irish Republic, this would tick all her boxes … This is an assured and powerful debut, and Murrin shows impressive imaginative power in inhabiting the hopes and fears of married, middle-aged mothers. It’s well worth a slot in your book club calendar … It is thoughtful, readable and funny * The Times *