A Dress for Kathleen

A Dress For Kathleen is a fragmentary celebration of Heather Richardson's aunt, Kathleen Hutchinson, whose life was cut short at 14. It is a poetic portrait in prose and one of the finest books of the year.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 96 pages
Publication date: 07 September 2023
Publisher: Story Machine

In the tapestry of family histories, there exist individuals who inadvertently fade from the narrative, leaving an emptiness where their presence ought to have been. Within my father's lineage, such a person was his sister Kathleen, whose life tragically ended at the tender age of 14. Thus, Heather Richardson embarked on an extraordinary endeavor to commemorate her beloved aunt, Kathleen Hutchinson, through a fragmentary celebration that captures the essence of her remarkable existence.

The backdrop of this narrative unfolds in the early days of World War II, as Kathleen bid farewell to her school days and embarked on her first job at a linen mill. However, on this fateful December night, she failed to return home. Originally woven into the fabric of a dress, Kathleen's life is now unveiled for the first time, presented as a captivating book. Through this literary endeavor, Heather Richardson not only shares the story of Kathleen but also delves into the lives of her parents, who lived together in the picturesque countryside of rural Northern Ireland during the first half of the 20th century.

A Dress for Kathleen is a testament to the deep affection and reverence Heather Richardson holds for her aunt, whom she never had the privilege of meeting. Every sentence in this masterpiece sparkles with poetic prose, rendering it one of the most exceptional books to grace our literary landscape in the current year.

Weight: 150g
Dimension: 198 x 129 x 7 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781912665297