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29th May 2025
03:57pm BST
If you walk into any bookstore in Ireland then you'll notice that Irish female writers are filling up the shelves more than ever before.
Marian Keyes, Louise O'Neill, Emma Dabiri, Katriona O'Sullivan, Andrea Mara, Sarah Breen and Emer McLysaght, Patricia Scanlon, and Sally Rooney.
The list of Irish authors penning the most remarkable books is never-ending, and it's so encouraging to see. Gone are the days when readers turned their noses up at books written by women. Irish female authors are now celebrated and their work is being acknowledged and praised as it always should've been.
Readers are so lucky when it comes to new releases, but one new Irish novel has captured female friendship so perfectly, making it our must-read book of the summer.
Author Vicki Notaro has penned her second novel Long Story, and it's one book Irish women are going to be talking about this year.
Long Story is the type of book that makes your heart feel full, but one that hits you in the gut with how relatable it is.
The story follows best friends Alex and Tara as they grapple with the complexity that is female friendship in your thirties.
"I feel like I can write about women my age because I understand them very well, and I am one, so it just made sense.
"I think in your 30s, especially your late 30s into your 40s, your friendships change a lot because people's priorities change, you know, some people have kids, some people move abroad. It's not like your 20s when everyone's kind of in the same boat.
"So it was important to me to write about women my own age. With Reality Check, I wrote about a dynasty and different generations. There was a teenager, there were people in their 30s, and there was Dessie in her 60s, so that was more observational.
"Whereas this is more of my own experience, but Tara and Alex are very different characters. I think both of them are me and neither of them are me," the author shared.
The run-up to your second book's publication is an incredibly nerve-wracking time, but Vicki feels comforted with the support of her fellow authors, as well as the online Irish book community.
One author who has kindly supported Vicki is the phenomenal Marian Keyes.
"Marian has been kind to me my entire career. I first met her as a young journalist, and I went to her house and interviewed her. She's just always been the kindest person, and she was always so encouraging.
"I kind of can't believe that my name is mentioned in the same sentence as hers and that her name is on my book, it's incredible. It's been a wild ride so far."
As remarkable as the bookish community is in Ireland, female authors continue to face hurdles. Many people dismiss their work and consider it subpar, but those dated views are fading away.
Vicki said it's important to remember that books we consider classics nowadays would've been slated in the past.
"People used to slag off Jane Austen, you know, as being girly fiction back in the day. I remember being in a Jane Austen module, and the lads in the class that were forced to take it were like, 'why are we reading this?'
"I was like, it's great literature!" she quipped.
"The works of the Brontës and Jane Austen are held up as some of the best literary works ever now. I think women just deal with this in every generation, and over time, these things that used to be kind of slagged off become stone-cold classics."
Notaro has perfected the kind of book women will read for comfort, but one that is full of heart, too.
The deep understanding of female friendship, the hurdles Irish women face, and the complexity of life in your thirties are written perfectly in Long Story.
There's something special about this book that Irish women will appreciate. Not only has Vicki created the most beautiful protagonists, but she hasn't sugarcoated what it means to be an Irish woman or how messy female friendship can be.
She writes with such care, understanding, and a perfect Irish wit, making Long Story one of the best books of 2025.
Long Story by Vicki Notaro is out now.
