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, Sin ad N Sh illeabh in.

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