A Beautiful Loan — Mary Costello

A young woman finds herself in and out of love in this intimate, intense novel from a “truly startling talent” (Kevin Barry).In Dublin in 1985, nineteen–year–old Anna Hughes is in thrall to Peter Gallagher, an older, worldly man. Her obsessive longing for him leads to marriage, bereavement and, eventually, to a crushing betrayal.When Anna meets a kindhearted Muslim man, she finds herself falling in love not only with him, but with the Muslim faith itself. For a while, Karim provides a refuge and offers renewed hope, but slowly Anna’s life begins to contract and she realizes she must find a way to break free.Unfolding across twenty–five years, this is a gut–punch of a novel about the loss of innocence, the shame and humiliations of love, and the psychological cost of seeking salvation in others. A Beautiful Loan is a devastating story about what it means to be a woman, as well as a testament to literature’s ability to give us a language when we’re lost for words.