The Alternatives

(Paperback)

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OLWEN. NELL. MAEVE. RHONA. MEET THE FLATTERY SISTERS. 'Superb is the only word for this novel.'Irish Times 'Surprising and delightful...The Alternativesmade me laugh, cry, and think.'Louise Kennedy, author ofTrespasses Four gifted Irish sisters confront an uncertain future in this dazzling novel from a major literary talent. Perfect for fans of Jonathan Franzen, Maggie O'Farrell and Claire Vaye Watkins. Olwen, Nell, Maeve and Rhona were plunged prematurely into adulthood when their parents died in tragic circumstances. Now in their thirties, they have each carved out impressive careers living distant lives, fighting separate battles. But Olwen's disappearance is about to change everything. A geologist haunted by the weight of the earth's past and a crushing awareness of its volatile future, Olwen abruptly vanishes from her home without a trace. Her sisters track her down to a remote bungalow in rural Ireland, with little electricity and patchy connection to the outside world. Together for the first time in years, the sisters vie to confront old wounds and diagnose new ills most urgently, Olwen's. Fiercely witty and unexpectedly hopeful, The Alternatives is an unforgettable portrait of a family perched on our collective precipice, told by one of Ireland's most gifted storytellers. A New Statesman 'Book to Look Forward to in 2024'

Reviews

'Hughess best novel yet.With itsferocious intelligence and furious wit, the writing is reminiscent of Anne Enright.'Guardian

'Superb is the only word for this novel Atimely, sly and frequently hilarious read.'Irish Times

'Exuberant... A bold, beautiful, complex novel, and I cant wait to read what Hughes writes next. She, too, is an unstoppable force.' New York Times

'It's just glorious. If it doesn't end up on a hatload of award shortlists by the end of the year, I will eat an actual real-world hat.' Irish Independent

'Caoilinn Hughes is one of the most intelligent, surprising, and delightful writers around.The Alternativesmade me laugh, cry, and think.'Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses

'A constantly surprising story of sisterhood and survival...Its a brainy novel, full of ideas about life and how to live it both now and in a disrupted future.' Mail on Sunday

'I wish I knew how Caoilinn Hugheshas managed to write a book of such depth and gravity that is also so gripping and relentlessly funny.'Hernan Diaz, author of Trust

'I've admired all Caoilinn Hughes' books, and this one is a triumph, searching and clever and warm and funny.' Sarah Moss, author of Ghost Wall

'Beautiful...The Alternativesis both a book of ideas and a gripping read, formally audacious yet deeply humane. Superb.' Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind

'Bold, witty and intellectual... An exciting book, a book of intelligent women that very successfully plays with form and intertwined big ideas.'Sunday Independent

'A witty, bittersweet and often stylistically bold exploration of blood ties and chosen family.' New York Times Book Review, Editor's Choice

'The new novel from rising Irish star Hughes isa thought-provoking, gorgeously written look at the meaning of sisterhood and the many ways of showing care.' Good Housekeeping

'Hughes's elegiac romp into our collective crises erupts in gorgeous language and sizzles with wit, yet is undergirded by pathos. A shapeshifter of a writer, she can draw any character, any foible with crystalline precision.' Diane Cook, author of The New Wilderness

'The Alternativesis fizzy, brainy, and brilliant, always at the service of a drama of great emotional power. Caoilinn Hughes is an extraordinarily gifted writer.'Joseph ONeill, author of Netherland

The Alternativesis vintage Caoilinn Hughessharp, funny and philosophical, and very much a novel for our times. Carys Davies, author of The Mission House

'A novel so full of verve that one gains energy from reading it. The prose is a delight, and the force of the authors intelligence would be overwhelming if not for its warmth and wit.'Jing-Jing Lee, author ofHow We Disappeared

'A novel of tiny, telling details alongside big ideas...The Alternatives contains multitudes. Its mysteries and complexities reward a second reading... The book's ending is a stunner. And Olwen, Maeve, Nell and Rhona make it unforgettable.' Star Tribune

'Engaging and impressive.' Irish Examiner

'The dense blend of score settling, wise-cracking, ideas and eccentricity is nothing if not attention-grabbing... The question of how to go onward in our troubled times is admirable.' Daily Mail

'An explosion of a novel by a writer of rare brilliance and power...True originality is a rare thing but Caoilinn Hughes has it; she really is like no one else.' New Zealand Herald

'Witty and unexpectedly hopeful.' Image Magazine

'In The Alternatives, Hughes manages to make us both wish we had four flawed, intense sisters, and be grateful we don't. There is much humour, much sharpness, and Hughes' is a unique, honest, powerful voice. The sentences are sizzling, glittering, often taking off in unexpected and delightful directions. It is a novel to love as a reader, but equally as much as a writer: it makes me want to write. Stunning.' Jenny Mustard, author of Okay Days

'Hughes,one of my very favourite Irish writers, is soaringly original and takes us to unusual places and circumstances. Here, her wily observations and caustic humour enliventhe invisible currents of family connection.' Sydney SA Weekend

'[The sisters'] conversations sparkle with humour and wit...A fantastic whirlwind of a novel,The Alternativesthrows down the gauntlet on everything from climate change and deliberative democracy to the fundamentrals of authenticity and integrity.The final scene is as extraordinary as it is unexpected, yet somehow absolutely right.' New Internationalist

'Hughes's writing is not only profoundly intelligent, but also imbued with a sharp wit and humour Hughes deftly demonstrates the importance of friendship and sisterhood, with a real sense of community and human connection beautifully evoked throughout the book.' NB Magazine

'Profoundly moving in its delicacy...The Alternatives, strewn with gorgeous prose, is a rare jewel, one to be read and read again.'RTE

'Impressive... The Alternativesdoesn't provide an answer to the climate crisis, how to deal with childhood trauma, or how to care for each other and yourself. It presents no miracle solution to any of those things: no single lifeline within reach that offers hope for the future. Instead,Hughes provides the sense that there is a chance of hope - and maybe that's enough to start with.' Irish Post

Author Bio

Caoilinn Hughesis theauthorofThe Wild Laughter, which won the Royal Society of Literatures Encore Award and was longlisted for the International Dylan Thomas Prize, andOrchid & the Wasp, which won the Collyer Bristow Prize and was longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award.She was recently the Oscar Wilde Centre Writer Fellow at Trinity College Dublin and a Cullman Center Fellow at the New York Public Library.