Ben is eight. He lives in a tent in a dark playroom, and for a year nobody has been able to reach him.

This is his story. It’s his dad’s too, and his nan’s, and it belongs to the woman who turns up at his door with nothing left to give.

Paula is a special-ed teacher in Cork, and she has just walked out of the job she loved. Burnt out. Done. She agrees to tutor Ben anyway. His mam is dead. He hasn’t been to school in over a year. He cuts paper for hours and barely speaks.

A week in and Paula has got no further than the zipped up door. Then Ben overhears Paula talking in Irish on the phone, and everything changes. Not just for Ben, but for Paula too.

And it’s Cork. Not the postcard – the real one, now. Northside Cork. The smoking area at a hip-hop gig. Shandon Street, Blackpool, a coffee in MYO, a bike ride home along the Lee. A boy whose mam came from Nigeria and whose dad is northside to the bone. Nana May, who still keeps the Vatican tablecloth out.

For anyone who loves Donal Ryan, Claire Keegan or Elaine Feeney. For book clubs who want something real to talk about.

Beautiful cover by Steve O Connell @steveoconnells
Forthcoming 09 April 2027