The Cut of Love

The voices of Jane's mum and dad ring in her ears. These days, they never stop fighting. She squeezes her eyes shut and wishes she could do the same with her ears. She resorts to the only thing she knows to help her cope. When her best friend Leah questions her about the criss-cross marks on her arms, Jane blames the cat. And when Leah tells her that true best friends shouldn't keep secrets from each other, Jane knows that's only talk. Everyone has secrets, even Leah. She never mentions her brother Jack, sometimes it's as if he never even existed. And yet, his absence is so palpable you can almost touch it.

Alison, Jack's mum, escapes into her dreams, where she becomes reunited with her dead son. It is less than a year since he was killed in a tragic road accident, for which she blames herself, and the pain still feels like an open wound in her chest. She struggles to hold herself together for the sake of her family, but the strain is telling, and when she and Jane's dad Dermot meet, it feels briefly that they are kindred spirits. But darker conclusions lie in wait.

The Cut of Love explores two journeys of the heart, one of an adolescent girl, the other of a middle-aged woman. As their paths interweave, a remarkable story unfolds at once modern and timeless that is bitingly real, deeply tender and utterly unforgettable.

“A remarkable book that expands the frontiers of Irish popular fiction. - Irish TimesA realistic, painful story that has moments of great tenderness. - Irish IndependentA fantastic book, both heart-wrenching and rewarding at the same time. - RTE Guide”

A remarkable book that expands the frontiers of Irish popular fiction. - Irish Times

A realistic, painful story that has moments of great tenderness. - Irish Independent

A fantastic book, both heart-wrenching and rewarding at the same time. - RTE Guide

Helena Close was born in Cork in 1959 but moved to Limerick at the age of five. She attended UCG where she studied English and Sociology and has worked in a variety of jobs while rearing her four children. She has been writing full time for the past eight years and has co written four books with her best friend Trisha Rainsford. Her own first novel, Pinhead Duffy, was published in 2005. The Cut of Love is her second novel. \nShe has recently moved to the wilds of Liscannor, Co. Clare, much to her and her husband's delight and her children's disgust! She is currently working on a third novel and also a film script with Trisha Rainsford. She is an avid sports fan and a huge Munster and Liverpool supporter. When she's not writing she likes to run, swim, work out in the gym and drink good coffee.

The voices of Jane's mum and dad ring in her ears. These days, they never stop fighting. She squeezes her eyes shut and wishes she could do the same with her ears. She resorts to the only thing she knows to help her cope. When her best friend Leah questions her about the criss-cross marks on her arms, Jane blames the cat. And when Leah tells her that true best friends shouldn't keep secrets from each other, Jane knows that's only talk. Everyone has secrets, even Leah. She never mentions her brother Jack, sometimes it's as if he never even existed. And yet, his absence is so palpable you can almost touch it.Alison, Jack's mum, escapes into her dreams, where she becomes reunited with her dead son. It is less than a year since he was killed in a tragic road accident, for which she blames herself, and the pain still feels like an open wound in her chest. She struggles to hold herself together for the sake of her family, but the strain is telling, and when she and Jane's dad Dermot meet, it feels briefly that they are kindred spirits. But darker conclusions lie in wait.The Cut of Love explores two journeys of the heart, one of an adolescent girl, the other of a middle-aged woman. As their paths interweave, a remarkable story unfolds at once modern and timeless that is bitingly real, deeply tender and utterly unforgettable.

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