Martina Devlin, an award-winning columnist for the Irish Independent and podcaster for Dublin City of Literature #CityofBooks, has delivered a new novel based on the life of Edith Somerville of ‘Somerville and Ross’ fame – authors of The Irish R.M.
In this work, set during the turbulent period of Irish Independence 1921–22, Somerville finds herself at a crossroads. Her position as a member of the Ascendancy is perilous as she struggles to keep her family home, Drishane House in West Cork, while others are burned out. After years in a successful writing partnership with Violet Martin, Edith continues to write after her partner’s death, comforted in the belief they continue to connect through automatic writing and séances.
Against a backdrop of Civil War politics and lawlessness erupting across the country via IRA flying columns, people across Ireland are forced to consider where their loyalties lie.
In Edith, Devlin limns a vivid historical context in this story of proto-feminist Edith Somerville courageously trying to keep home and heart in one piece.
The story of Somerville and Ross is unique in the history of Irish women writers. Academic Shawn R. Mooney described these best-selling authors as ‘undeniably New Women: single, educated and economically independent writers whose lives and literary collaboration were unique manifestations of late-nineteenth century feminist strivings toward political and sexual equality’. Devlin depicts Edith in the round, suffering from loss, striving for safety, and keeping hold of hope in this captivating narrative set in the early years of a nascent state — a triumph of ventriloquism rooted in a society on the cusp of change.
PRAISE FOR EDITH
‘Edith Somerville’s world is upended – her writing partner is gone; her safety, family home, and lifestyle are threatened by brewing civil war; and even her creativity is wavering. But Edith’s eponymous heroine is smart and sanguine, and she finds safety and comfort in esoteric practices as well as the arms of friends. This is a pacy novel of menace, intrigue, and nostalgia that examines the butting cultures of Independence Ireland with all the forensic joy in politics and language that readers expect from the wonderful Martina Devlin.’ Nuala O’Connor, author of NORA: A Love Story of Nora Barnacle and James Joyce
‘Edith is an engrossing and sensitive portrait of the writer Edith Somerville during the War of Independence when her writing partner Violet Ross is dead and her own career as a writer not flourishing. It is a portrait of a sensitive, solitary figure in a time of turmoil, of a woman striking out as an artist in a time when there were many barriers.’ Colm Tóibín, author of The Magician, and Laureate for Irish Fiction
‘Only a novelist as gifted as Martina Devlin could succeed in conjuring Edith’s complicated psyche, through moments of determination, exasperation and bewilderment, as the world transforms around her. Devlin’s bright imagination and keen ear for speech bring this book to life, vividly depicting a complex time, and a complex inner life.’ Doireann Ní Ghríofa, author of A Ghost in the Throat
‘Edith is a superbly entertaining historical novel, remarkable for the depth of its sympathies, the ease of its storytelling, and the complexity of its insights. I sped through it and found that it lingered in my mind afterwards – the real mark of a great book. This is the work of an author of enormous skill, patience, daring, and humanity.’ Kevin Power, author of The Written World, White City and Bad Day in Blackrock
‘A gripping, surprising, beautifully written story of a piece of untold history. Devlin brings an impressive level of authentic detail into all her writing, and Edith is no exception.’ Kate Kerrigan, author of The Dress
‘I absolutely loved it and just couldn’t put it down!’ Marita Conlon-McKenna, author of The Hungry Road
‘Wonderful‘ Liz Nugent, author of Our Little Cruelties
‘Brilliant … A must for fans of Somerville and Ross.’ Edel Coffey, author of Breaking Point
‘the extensive research behind Edith is worn lightly. Vivid descriptions capture the sights, sounds and smells of the era … Devlin’s depiction of Edith is completely convincing; she comes across as witty, intelligent and — despite the spirit writing — smart and sanguine. Rather than sounding like a woman desperate to cling to an old way of life, she is pragmatic; understanding of the need to make the transition from the old order to a new way of life as an inhabitant of the Irish state. She understood her part in the Ascendancy, yet was also able to chart its demise with insight and humanity.’ Henrietta McKervey, Irish Independent
Irish Independent Best Book of 2022
