Peeling Oranges

Peeling Oranges tells the story of how Derek Foley, while sifting through his late father's diaries and his mother's correspondence with an IRA man, discovers that Patrick Foley, a diplomat in Franco's Spain, was not really his father. Derek's mother, who is ailing, is unwilling to discuss the past, forcing her son on a quest that will plunge him into the early history of Irish diplomacy, taking him to Spain and later to Northern Ireland, until he discovers who his real father was—with tragic consequences. Peeling Oranges is a novel full of personal and political intrigue, fraught with ideology, as it intersects the histories of two emergent nations—Ireland and Spain. It is also a beautiful and lyrically written love story of childhood sweethearts—the apolitical Derek and the passionate nationalist, Sinéad Ní Shúilleabháin.

James Lawless' poetry and prose have won many awards, including the Scintilla Welsh Open Poetry Competition, the WOW award, a Biscuit International Prize for short stories, the Cecil Day Lewis Award and a Hennessey award nomination for emerging fiction. His story Jolt was shortlisted for the Willesden prize and appeared in New Short Stories 1, edited by Zadie Smith (London/ New York, Willesden Herald, 2007) and another story was shortlisted for the Bridport Prize, 2014. He is the author of a well-received poetry collection Rus in Urbe and of the critically-acclaimed novels Peeling Oranges, For Love of Anna, The Avenue, Finding Penelope and Knowing Women, and a highly-regarded study of modern poetry Clearing the Tangled Wood: Poetry as a Way of Seeing the World, for which he received an arts bursary. Born in Dublin, he divides his time between Kildare and West Cork. His books are at http: //www.amazon.com/jameslawless/e/b001joxd96 or read more about the author at www.jameslawless.ne