Louise Kennedy, an Irish author whose debut novel *Trespasses* became a bestseller and was shortlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction, has released her second novel, *Stations*. The new work explores the experiences of Irish émigrés living in London during the 1980s. Kennedy’s journey to becoming a writer is unconventional; she spent three decades working as a chef in Ireland before turning to fiction in her fifties, following a cancer diagnosis.
Born near Belfast, Kennedy’s early life was marked by the violence of the Troubles, which compelled her family to leave Northern Ireland after their pub was destroyed. Her own life has been shaped by diverse geographical and cultural experiences, including extended periods living in London and Beirut. These varied perspectives inform her literary work and reflect a keen awareness of displacement and identity.
Kennedy cites several influential books that shaped her literary sensibilities. One of her earliest and most formative readings was *The Country Girls* by Edna O’Brien, a novel regarded as controversial and banned in 1980s Ireland. The clandestine discovery of the book sparked a long engagement with O’Brien’s work, particularly *In the Forest*, a novel based on real-life murders in County Clare. Kennedy praises O’Brien’s ability to transform a suspenseful true-crime story into a lyrical and hypnotic narrative, elevating it beyond conventional thriller genre boundaries.
During her stay in Beirut in the mid-1990s, a period that extended from a planned two-week holiday to over two years, Kennedy turned to literature to navigate the complex realities of life in the war-torn city. She highlights *Beirut Fragments* by Jean Said Makdisi, an account of surviving the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Makdisi’s memoir captures the nuanced human dimensions of conflict and remains a testament to resilience and hope amid adversity. Kennedy also notes the familial connection between Makdisi and the late scholar Edward Said, whose memoir *Out of Place* complements her narrative.
Kennedy also singles out the American writer Ellen Gilchrist as an underrated influence. Gilchrist’s 1981 collection, *In the Land of Dreamy Dreams*, features stories of Southern women grappling with oppressive social structures through sharp wit and dark humor. Kennedy reflects on a personal attachment to a signed first edition of Gilchrist’s work, underscoring its significance in her development as a writer.
*Stations* is now available from Bloomsbury, continuing Kennedy’s exploration of Irish identity and diaspora through richly drawn characters and evocative settings.