Sunburn : Shortlisted for the Polari First Book Prize 2024

An unflinching and emotionally insightful debut about cultural identity, homesickness, love and loss. In the five years following his brother's death, Aaron has built himself a life of solitary routines. After moving from Dublin to Boston, and illegally overstaying her visa, Róisín has done the same. When the two meet on a night out, they each find in the other something missing in their lives. A semblance of home. Their relationship is complicated by their disparate religious backgrounds - Aaron is Jewish; Roísín is atheist - and by the harsh realities of everyday life. Just as they're pushed to their breaking point, Roísín realises she is pregnant. Placeholders is a poignant story of loneliness corrected and the transformative power of love.