Irish Times review The Story of Before

Nice to get a review in The Irish Times, 27 Sep 2014.

IT review Sep ’14

Book of the Month in Ulster Tatler

Click here for the full review: TSOB AUGUST Ulster Tat REVIEW 2014

Delighted to see The Story of Before is Book of the Month is the August 2014 edition of The Ulster Tatler.

Here is part of the review: ”Stairs’ debut novel is remarkable, with a
narrator who commands your attention. Ruth
is an outstanding creation who exudes a
childhood innocence, which is however tinged
with a wisdom far older than her years. What
makes her so believable is that she is flawed;
she is young and as such can make mistakes
because she doesn’t yet know better. In this
way Stairs captures Ruth’s childish qualities
perfectly. Stairs also encapsulates the 1970s
completely; when children were trusted to look
after younger siblings or had freedom to roam
the streets whilst their parents had a sense of
security that they would always be safe.
The Story of Before is an exquisitely crafted
novel. By stating Ruth’s premonition of a ‘bad
thing’ at the, the succeeding tension is
palpable on each page as the reader senses it
coming closer and closer. The Story of Before is
a hugely affecting novel; it captivates you from
the very start and by the time you have
finished, you will feel as if you have been on an
emotional journey. An impressive debut,
which marks Susan Stairs as a name to watch
out for in the future.”

Congratulations to Colin Barrett

Congratulations to Colin Barrett on winning the 2014 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award for his debut collection ‘Young Skins’. An amazing and well deserved achievement. Colin and I studied for our Masters in Creative Writing at UCD the same year – 2008-9 – and I knew the first time he read some of his work in class that here was a writer destined for great things. It hasn’t taken long. Only 9 months since the publication of ‘Young Skins’ and already his name is well known in the literary world, not just here in Ireland but in the UK and the US. This morning I received in the post some details of the 2014 Cork International Short Story Festival (www.corkshortstory.net) where Colin will be presented with his award – a cool €25,000. Also taking part in the festival in September are, among others, Richard Ford, Salley Vickers and Nuala Ní Chonchúir. If you haven’t already read Colin’s work, go out and buy a copy of ‘Young Skins’. You’re in for a real treat.

The Irish Times and Easons Bookbind

In April 2013, The Story of Before was The Irish Times/Easons Bookbind choice.

Paperback Edition

The paperback edition of The Story of Before is released.

The Bookseller: One to Watch

The Bookseller picks the paperback edition of The Story of Before as One to Watch for April.

Local Authors Night

Mountains to Sea Festival

September 2013 at the Mountains to Sea Festival in Dunlaoghaire, Co Dublin. Susan read from The Story of Before at an event in the Maritime Museum. Here, she takes part in a panel discussion with Deirdre Madden which was chaired by Sara Keating.

RTE Guide

The Story of Before is featured in The RTE Guide.

Sunday Independent Summer Reads

The Story of Before is selected by The Sunday Independent as a summer read.