The Couples by Lauren Mackenzie
Synopsis
Eva looked out of the window of the charmingly crumbling guest house and thought she might be sick. She could see Frank lying on the grass in last night's clothes - it wasn't clear whether he was conscious or not. Her husband, Shay, was in bed. She loved him, of course she did, just right now the person she most wanted to see was Connor.
She didn't want to think about what had happened to Bea or how Lizzie was feeling . . . Frank's birthday had given them an excuse for a night away. The three couples, caught between caring for the children and worrying about their parents, were ready to have a good time. The drink flowed, Dublin felt a long way away and when Frank proposed they swap partners for the night, they forgot they were stressed about their finances and exhausted by their responsibilities. In the heat of the moment, it's deliciously reckless, and makes them all feel young again.
The women text the man of their choice. One night. No obligations. No expectations. No falling in love. The only rule? No falling in love. But life doesn't follow the rules.
Reviews
A blockbuster in waiting' Donal Ryan, author of The Queen of Dirt Island
'Normal People for married people' Irish Times
About the Author
Lauren Mackenzie grew up in Sydney, Australia but now lives in Dublin with her family. After a long career as a screenwriter and editor in film and television, she returned to fiction in 2o17, completing an MA in Creative Writing in UCD. She was shortlisted for Cuirt New Writing Prize, Hennessy New Irish Writing, and Fish Short Story Prize. She has been published in The Stinging Fly, The Moth, Banshee, the Irish Times, and The Lonely Crowd among others. Recently she was awarded Literature Bursaries by the Arts Council of Ireland and in 2021, her novel, The Couples, wasa joint winner of the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair 2021