Everything That Is Beautiful
02 April 2026Imprint: Manilla Press
Synopsis
'I absolutely loved it . . . So realistic about the complexity of loving people who will break our hearts'
Marian Keyes
For Niamh Ryan, the Foleys are family. Her childhood flew by on their farm, playing with her best friend Peter and his sister Kate - all the while being doted on by their mother Helen and coached by their father Liam, a legendary former hurling player.
Now, following a distressing series of events, the family ties are strained. Niamh receives drunken phone calls and messages from Peter who can't understand what derailed their burgeoning relationship three years ago. Meanwhile, Helen Foley is trying her best to escape her life by checking into guesthouses under the names of women she went to school with. In her life in Belfast, Kate is attempting to hold down a job and a relationship while carrying the weight of the family's secrets, and feeling like she is the one to blame.
As a family wedding looms, and the women find themselves face to face, the knotty love that still binds Niamh, Helen and Kate might just bring them back together again.
Told through the perspectives of three very different women, Everything That Is Beautiful unfolds the story of one complicated family in startlingly honest prose. By turns funny and deeply moving, and with unmatched emotional intelligence, this is an unforgettable story of love and family, heartbreak and hope - and who we might become after we pick up the pieces.
'Intimate and panoramic, tender-hearted and clear-eyed, poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, this dazzling novel brims with compassion and unforgettable characters. A book you'll read and love, then immediately buy for those you love' Colin Walsh, number 1 bestselling author of Kala
'A deeply moving exploration of all the joys and pains of living in community. Beautifully written, funny, emotionally complex and always quietly hopeful. I loved it' Niamh NÃ Mhaoileoin, award-winning author of Ordinary Saints
Marian Keyes
For Niamh Ryan, the Foleys are family. Her childhood flew by on their farm, playing with her best friend Peter and his sister Kate - all the while being doted on by their mother Helen and coached by their father Liam, a legendary former hurling player.
Now, following a distressing series of events, the family ties are strained. Niamh receives drunken phone calls and messages from Peter who can't understand what derailed their burgeoning relationship three years ago. Meanwhile, Helen Foley is trying her best to escape her life by checking into guesthouses under the names of women she went to school with. In her life in Belfast, Kate is attempting to hold down a job and a relationship while carrying the weight of the family's secrets, and feeling like she is the one to blame.
As a family wedding looms, and the women find themselves face to face, the knotty love that still binds Niamh, Helen and Kate might just bring them back together again.
Told through the perspectives of three very different women, Everything That Is Beautiful unfolds the story of one complicated family in startlingly honest prose. By turns funny and deeply moving, and with unmatched emotional intelligence, this is an unforgettable story of love and family, heartbreak and hope - and who we might become after we pick up the pieces.
'Intimate and panoramic, tender-hearted and clear-eyed, poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, this dazzling novel brims with compassion and unforgettable characters. A book you'll read and love, then immediately buy for those you love' Colin Walsh, number 1 bestselling author of Kala
'A deeply moving exploration of all the joys and pains of living in community. Beautifully written, funny, emotionally complex and always quietly hopeful. I loved it' Niamh NÃ Mhaoileoin, award-winning author of Ordinary Saints
Details
02 April 2026
9781786581365Imprint: Manilla Press
Reviews
I absolutely loved it . . . So realistic about the complexity of loving people who will break our hearts.
A big-hearted, immersive novel about the complex bonds of family and friendships. With her second novel, Nealon extends her narrative range and further establishes herself as one of the leading chroniclers of the contemporary Irish female experience. The world she creates is so vivid and compelling: readers will live in these farmhouse kitchens, in the fields and on the camogie pitches, with characters who begin to feel like friends.
Intimate and panoramic, tender-hearted and clear-eyed, poignant and laugh-out-loud funny, this dazzling novel brims with compassion and unforgettable characters. A book you'll read and love, then immediately buy for those you love.
A deeply moving exploration of all the joys and pains of living in community. Beautifully written, funny, emotionally complex and always quietly hopeful. I loved it.
