I love a good road trip and any excuse to travel to Galway. The excuse on this occasion was to celebrate the launch of bestselling author Lucy O’Callaghan’s second novel, Obsession.
As Anthony Bourdain is wont to say, “The journey is part of the experience.” I couldn’t agree more, Anthony. My pal and I hit off in a fully electric Chinese-made BYD Seal. The Chinese – a great bunch of lads, as they say. Now, I was never going to be a contender as a panellist on Top Gear. It suffices to say that my absolute favourite thing about the car is that the interior strip lights pulse to the music. Yeah, you heard me. It was a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, I picked up my pal Siobhan, or Passenger Princess as she shall henceforth be known, threw on an 80s playlist on Spotify, and we hit the road.
Lucy’s debut novel, The Lies Beneath, was an Irish Times bestseller in 2024, so I can’t wait to get started on her new book.
The blurb is “When a woman’s desire to help those who need it most sparks a dangerous obsession in one man, will she be able to see what’s right in front of her?
She needs to help. He needs her help. It’s that simple…or is it? Since losing her brother to suicide five years ago, Rachel has thrown herself into her job, supporting men in getting back to work and rebuilding their self-esteem. Men like Peter, an ordinary man, seemingly down on his luck, but hiding a dependency on painkillers and alcohol.
Peter mistakes Rachel’s kindness for something more and believes they are destined to be together – even if she needs a little help along the way to realise it.
While Rachel is consumed with helping others, she is blind not only to Peter’s growing infatuation but also to family secrets emerging from the past.
Will Rachel recognise Peter’s obsession before it is too late?
The launch was officiated by author Edel Coffey, who describes Lucy’s book as “Tense, taut and terrifying – a page turner that also tackles important issues. I read it in one sitting.”
I’m on record as saying that I love a good book launch, and this was a good one. Siobhan and I made a quick pitstop in Cava Bodega, a lovely tapas restaurant just off Shop St., before returning to Dublin. I always find myself highly motivated to write and aspire towards a debut launch of my own sometime soon. But while I wait for that to happen, I’m continuing to write my second novel with a working title of Lessons Learnt. I’m not a plotter, so I can’t wait to see how it ends. I better get back to it.
A link to order Lucy’s book here.
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