Thirsty Ghosts

In her novel "Thirsty Ghosts," Emer Martins explores the history of silence, institutional lies, evasion, and the mistreatment of women in mid-to-late twentieth-century Ireland. The book is an epic exploration of Ireland, combining themes of power, class, fertility, violence, and deep love. It is related with dark humor, verve, and high literary style.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 14 September 2023
Publisher: The Lilliput Press Ltd

Emer Martins is a groundbreaking and essential voice in Irish literature, as she confronts the history of silence, institutional lies, evasion, and the mistreatment of women in mid-to-late twentieth-century Ireland. This immersive polyvocal work unfolds across two families, an intergenerational saga that began with The Cruelty Men (2018) and continues here as punk rockers and Magdalene laundries intertwine in a post-colonial Ireland still grappling with its tribal undercurrents. Scenes emerge from Ireland's mythical past, Tudor plantations, workhouses, and industrial schools, exposing the raw realities of the Troubles, the transformative pre-digital decades, and the tumultuous events that shape the narrative. Thirsty Ghosts is both epic in scope and deeply personal. The Lyons, a professional family in a newly independent state, find themselves targeted by paramilitaries in their family home in Tyrone. Meanwhile, the eccentric OConaills of Kerry, displaced by circumstances, find themselves in the leafy suburbs of Dublin 4. Along the way, we encounter a servant who crosses paths with Henry VIII, a Lithuanian Jewish family who assimilate into Dublin's fabric, and a wild young girl who narrowly escapes the laundry only to stumble into the clutches of a psychopathic pimp. Touched with dark humor, vigor, and a high literary style, Thirsty Ghosts is a revelatory exploration of Ireland, intertwining themes of power, class, fertility, violence, and profound love. These universal forces resonate as deeply as the old stories that permeate and illuminate the lives of each character.

Weight: 506g
Dimension: 138 x 215 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781843518631