The debut novel by Waterford writer Megan Nolan has been selected as one of the ten best debut novels of 2021 by the Observer newspaper.
According to the paper "'Acts of Desperation' charts the obsession of an unnamed narrator with a cold, beautiful man named Ciaran with forensic focus and biting honesty".
The novel is set to be published on March 4th this year by Jonathan Cape publishers who have signed a two-book deal with Megan.
Megan is the daughter of well-known local playwright Jim Nolan and grew up in Waterford before moving to Dublin and London. The 30 year-old has written for The New York Times and New Statesman among many other prestigious publications.
Megan told the Observer the book does touch on personal experiences:
“The narrator has a lot of me in her. The events are fictional – you’re not going to find a boyfriend that’s like Ciaran – but the feelings are all real: the impulses, the reflective insights, that’s all pretty much me.”
Some of the writers whose debut novels were recognised as one of the Observer’s best debuts include well known authors such as Sally Rooney, Jessie Burton, Gail Honeyman, Oyinkan Braithwaite and Sara Collins.
