Diving for Pearls

(Paperback)

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Description

Fates collide and lives are shattered in this stunning debut novel from an exciting new voice in Irish fiction. Jamie O'Connell weaves a delicate web of intertwining stories, combining dark wit and devastating emotional truth. For fans of John Boyne and Jeanine Cummins. A young woman's body floats in the Dubai marina. Her death alters the fates of six people, each one striving for a better life in an unforgiving city. A young Irish man comes to stay with his sister, keen to erase his troubled past in the heat of the Dubai sun. A Russian sex worker has outsmarted the system so far - but will her luck run out A Pakistani taxi driver dreams of a future for his daughters. An Emirate man hides the truth about who he really is. An Ethiopian maid tries to carve out a path of her own. From every corner of the globe, Dubai has made promises to them all. Promises of gilded opportunities and bright new horizons, the chance to forget the past and protect long-held secrets. But Dubai breaks its promises, with deadly consequences. In a city of mirages, how do you find your way out

Reviews

If you're after a total page turner then try Diving for Pearls . . . A fantastic debut novel * Stellar *
[O'Connell's] talent is clear * The Ryan Tubridy Show *
It's tough to link so many narrative threads . . . but O'Connell pulls it off with aplomb * Irish Times *
A hugely engaging novel from a talented new writer -- John Boyne
A compelling tale uncovering a world of secrets, injustice and, for the lucky few, escape -- Anne Griffin * author of When All is Said *

Author Bio

Jamie O'Connell has had short stories highly commended by the Costa Short Story Award and the Irish Book Award Short Story of the Year. He has been longlisted for BBC Radio 4 Opening Lines Short Story Competition and shortlisted for the Maeve Binchy Travel Award and the Sky Arts Futures Fund. He has an MFA and MA in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. He has worked for Penguin Random House, Gill Books and O'Brien Press. Diving for Pearls is his first novel.