THE second novel by Northern Irish writer Damian McNicholl is currently enjoying great critical acclaim.
In Twisted Agendas, Danny who is desperate to escape his predetermined existence decides to break out from life in Northern Ireland, and move to London. He then meets Piper, a friendly and outgoing American girl on a quest of her own.
Two very different worlds are thrown together as Danny is willingly absorbed into unfamiliar territory. However, the Hammersmith Bridge is then bombed, Piper disappears without a trace and Danny finds himself the centre of a police investigation, hounded by whispers of the IRA.
Dark, yet humorous, Danny and Piper’s story is one of dysfunctional parenting, clashing motives and twenty- something’s negotiating love and big city life.
‘Fast-paced, poignant, often humorous and consistently un-put-downable, McNicholl’s latest novel is the work of a writer at the top of his game,’ says Alexander Fitzgerald, Editor, Irish Tatler Man
‘A compelling and entertaining romp through other people's inter-tangled lives… From terrorists to lovers to meddling fathers, Damian deftly weaves comic misunderstandings with a larger more ominous theme of authority going slightly mad… Author Patricia Wood, author of Lottery (shortlisted for the 2008 Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction)
‘A thoroughly engrossing transatlantic adventure…' Irish World
‘Comic, courageous and often painful, this is a beautifully paced and balanced novel that will have an assured place in contemporary Irish writing,’ says Seamus Deane, shortlisted for Booker Prize
Damian was born in Northern Ireland and attended law school at University College, Cardiff. His first novel, A Son Called Gabriel, was an American Booksellers Association Booksense Pick, Foreword Magazine, and Lambda Literary Awards finalist. Film rights for the novel have been acquired by award winning Director Tom Collins. In addition to other media, he’s appeared on National Public Radio’s The Marty Moss Coane Show, Irish Radio Network's The Adrian Flannelly Show and BBC Radio Ulster's Arts Extra to discuss his work.
He maintains a blog at www.damianm.blogspot.com and can be found on Twitter at @damianmcn. He lives in Bucks County, Pennsylvania and is at work on his third novel.
