Description

“MacMahon writes with such beautiful simplicity, conjuring real and complex people straight off the page … subtle and authentic” – Claire Fuller

On opposite sides of the world, half-siblings Cassie and Christo have built their lives around work, intent on ignoring their painful past.

When a dramatic storm in Galway hits the headlines, they’re drawn back there to revisit a glorious childhood summer, the last before their mother died. But their journey uncovers memories of a far less happy summer – one that had tragic consequences.

Confronted with the havoc their mother left in her wake, Cassie and Christo are forced to face their past and – ready or not – to deal with the messy tangle of parental love and neglect that shaped them.

The Home Scar is a luminous and precise story about the inheritance of loss and the possibility of finally making peace with it.
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“Her beautifully simple style belies psychological complexity … and her tone is wryly accepting” – Big Issue

“Quiet and bleakly beautiful … like the siblings and Ireland, it will leave a permanent mark on those who venture into its depths” – Buzz

“Picks at the wounds only a mother can inflict … ambitious … intricate” – Sunday Independent

“An exceptional novel about a brother and sister returning to the west of Ireland and to a summer of their past.” – Anne Griffin, Sunday Independent

“A powerful story about legacy and loss and the possibility of reconciliation” – Irish Times

Publisher Review

A powerful story about legacy and loss and the possibility of reconciliation * Irish Times * Her beautifully simple style belies psychological complexity . . . and her tone is wryly accepting * Big Issue * Quiet and bleakly beautiful . . . like the siblings and Ireland, it will leave a permanent mark on those who venture into its depths * Buzz * Picks at the wounds only a mother can inflict . . . ambitious . . . intricate * Sunday Independent * An exceptional novel about a brother and sister returning to the west of Ireland and to a summer of their past. -- Anne Griffin * Sunday Independent * MacMahon writes with such beautiful simplicity, conjuring real and complex people straight off the page . . . subtle and authentic -- Claire Fuller Thoughtful, understated . . . it has a quiet power * Irish Independent * Wonderful -- Brendan O'Connor * RTE * A gorgeous story of sibling love. It reads like a psychological adventure story into memory -- Louise Nealon A spell-binding story of inherited grief and the unbreakable bond between siblings as they unpick memories of their shared past . . . [MacMahon's] characters feel authentic and relatable for all their flaws -- Aingeala Flannery Such a treat . . . another stunner from Kathleen MacMahon -- Henrietta McKervey With her usual effortless writing style and ability to make characters pop off the page, [The Home Scar] is a moving read * Woman's Way * An intriguing, meticulous and generation-spanning story of love, loss and healing -- Ed O'Loughlin Kathleen MacMahon's subject is memory itself: how we remember - and the impact upon our future lives when our memories deceive us. Compassionate and poignant, The Home Scar is a work of considerable moral power -- Neil Hegarty A very grown-up novel about life and love, of course, and above all, the repercussions of a disrupted childhood . . . a real tour de force -- Christine Dwyer Hickey The Home Scar once again displays Kathleen MacMahon's gimlet-eyed understanding of grown-up frailty -- Hilary Fannin A delight - I loved every word of it -- Catherine Dunne An understated, powerful read. * Irish Examiner * [MacMahon's] exploration of connection, to each other and the ones we've lost, is . . . sensitively done and wrapped in the rich storytelling that has made her a notable name in Irish literature * RTE Guide * A love story to the west of Ireland as much as it is a family mystery, this beautifully written novel will entrance anyone who has memories of childhood holidays spent in the area. -- Liadan Hynes * Sunday Independent * MacMahon's fourth novel ... is another eloquently written and elegantly shaped novel that lays bare those scars that many of us carry and cover. * RTE Guide * An exceptional novel by one of Ireland's foremost literary talents. A book not to be missed -- Anne Griffin One of Ireland's finest twenty-first century writers * Margaret Madden *