With My Lazy Eye

Quercus is delighted to introduce Julia Kelly, the bright new voice in fiction. She writes with intelligence, honesty and tremendous wit, and her future as a leading light is as assured as this, her first novel.

With My Lazy Eye is the story of Lucy. Lucy's a misfit. She's growing up in a large family in a semi-detached house, dreaming of being someone else and making her father proud. It's not looking promising.

He's an internationally renowned academic and her siblings are bright achievers, but Lucy is idle, directionless and never quite manages to succeed. Her lazy eye sets her apart from the crowd and gives her something to hide behind, and in truth, she's not really trying to overcome it. She hasn't got the energy to revise for exams, she can't convince herself to care about coming last and even when she goes to London and finds the perfect job, she is still destined to fail. And as far as men are concerned, Lucy tumbles into bed with one after another, never finding any she can find real affection for. As her sight deteriorates and her view of reality becomes increasingly oblique, Lucy comes to understand that if her life is going to improve, she'll have to take matters into her own hands.

But when a family crisis looms, it might just be too late.

Winner of International Education Services Irish Newcomer of the Year Award 2008
Short-listed for Kerry Group Irish Fiction Award 2008

“'Julia Kelly is surely the freshest voice in Irish fiction since the wonderful early novels of Edna O'Brien. This is a future to watch' John Banville.-- John Banville”

'Julia Kelly is surely the freshest voice in Irish fiction since the wonderful early novels of Edna O'Brien. This is a future to watch' John Banville. John Banville
Charmingly perceptive, laugh-out-loud funny…nothing short of a treat - Cecelia Ahern. Cecelia Ahern
A page-turner. Kelly's acute observations about adolescence ring true, the reader will laugh… This is a stunning debut - Irish Examiner. Irish Examiner
Confident? Skilful? Full of observations to die for? It's all of those and laugh-out-loud funny as well - Irish Times. Irish Times

Julia Kelly was born in 1969, studied English, Sociology and Journalism in Dublin, and escaped to London for the mad, bad years of life. She now lives in Bray, County Wicklow. This is her first novel.

Quercus is delighted to introduce Julia Kelly, the bright new voice in fiction. She writes with intelligence, honesty and tremendous wit, and her future as a leading light is as assured as this, her first novel.With My Lazy Eye is the story of Lucy. Lucy's a misfit. She's growing up in a large family in a semi-detached house, dreaming of being someone else and making her father proud. It's not looking promising.He's an internationally renowned academic and her siblings are bright achievers, but Lucy is idle, directionless and never quite manages to succeed. Her lazy eye sets her apart from the crowd and gives her something to hide behind, and in truth, she's not really trying to overcome it. She hasn't got the energy to revise for exams, she can't convince herself to care about coming last and even when she goes to London and finds the perfect job, she is still destined to fail. And as far as men are concerned, Lucy tumbles into bed with one after another, never finding any she can find real affection for. As her sight deteriorates and her view of reality becomes increasingly oblique, Lucy comes to understand that if her life is going to improve, she'll have to take matters into her own hands. But when a family crisis looms, it might just be too late.

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