Three Little Truths

August 1, 2020
Three women from a suburban development in Ireland find surprising connections to each other as they attempt to move forward from mistakes they've each made in the past. A hodgepodge group of neighbors from Pine Road, Dublin, uses WhatsApp to manage their poker schedule, but the chat group functions more as a gossip-filled neighborhood watch. When a new family moves into No. 8, the poker group is in a tizzy trying to collect information about the new neighbors. Edie Rice is particularly intrigued, not only because she loves a good mystery, but also because the new arrivals solidify Edie's status as a longer-standing member of the neighborhood group. When Edie runs into the woman from No. 8, Martha Rigby, outside the market, she's thrilled she will be able to report to WhatsApp with details about the sophisticated mystery woman. As the residents of Pine Road get to know Martha, she reveals that she relocated from Limerick with her husband and children because of some sort of trauma. Unable to stop herself, Edie investigates Martha's past and discovers that her family fell victim to a crime before they moved. Edie confides this information to Robin Dwyer, another neighbor, and Robin begins to develop her own theories about what happened to send Martha running from Limerick. Meanwhile, Edie, Robin, and Martha confront complex personal issues within their own families relating to parenting and partnership, all while at the mercy of the neighborhood yentas. Despite a few too many slapstick moments and clich�s of neighborhood busybodies, the story tackles many complicated issues relating to self-esteem, parenting, and interpersonal connections. The cast of characters is unnecessarily long, and there are a few too many subplots fighting for attention. Even so, there are sufficient comical twists and warmhearted connections to make the book great fun. A lighthearted romp through an Irish community filled with characters that are as dysfunctional as they are delightful.

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August 31, 2020
Irish writer Shortall (Grace After Henry) explores the fine line between friendship and enmity in this thoroughly enjoyable novel, centered on a group of women neighbors. Self-possessed and elegant Martha Rigby has recently moved to tony Pine Road in Dublin after a traumatic robbery at her previous home, during which she and her daughters, Sinéad and Orla, were tied up. Though Martha’s daughters have taken to their new school, St. Ornatín’s, “with such ease it almost seemed pointed,” Martha struggles socially until she gets involved in the intricate web of neighborhood politics: a single mom, Robin, is back at her parents’ after having left her criminal boyfriend; Edie, a young “receptionist-slash-supervisor” will stop at nothing to get pregnant; and the daggers are out for Trish, the principal of St. Ornatín’s, and the insufferable Bernie, the chair of the school’s Parents’ Association. When a list of girls’ names is discovered in the boys’ bathroom at school, and Sinéad, whose name appears on it, calls it a “rape list,” tensions flare; meanwhile, Martha is unexpectedly confronted by someone from her past. Secrets and subplots abound, and they all converge at a local street party. While a reliance on coincidence can stretch the plot’s believability, Shortall strikes the perfect balance between acerbic and compassionate. Readers will soak up this smart, entertaining plunge into a community’s dysfunctional culture.

September 1, 2020
Martha, Robin, and Edie have all found themselves on Pine Road (Dublin's answer to Wisteria Lane from Desperate Housewives) for different reasons. Martha settled in after running from a haunting situation, Robin moved to escape a horrible relationship, and Edie, to start a family. In addition to the three ladies are other neighbors who give the book flavor in their own entertaining way, from texting each other to hosting poker nights and Easter parties of epic proportions. The lives of the inhabitants of Pine Road get intertwined as familiarity leads to friendship, and it's clear that outward appearances are not what they seem. Shortall's latest (after Grace after Henry, 2019) chronicles how women become friends, slowly opening up to one another, revealing truths that they meant to keep within their own families. A combination of Sally Hepworth's The Family Next Door (2018) and Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies (2014), this work is an excellent exploration of the inner workings of one Dublin neighborhood. A top-notch read for those looking for depth and a little humor.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)