Originally from Kildare, Belfast-based writer Louise Nealon won acclaim for her debut novel Snowflake, a coming-of-age tale which topped the best-seller lists, won the Newcomer of the Year prize at the An Post Irish Book Awards and was chosen for the One Dublin One Book campaign in 2024.
This month she returns with her eagerly anticipated second novel Everything That Is Beautiful, which explores the secrets, silences and bonds within one Irish family - she talks to Dermot Whelan below:
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We asked Louise for her choice cultural picks...
FILM
I recently watched I Swear on Netflix – a biopic based on the life of John Davidson, who developed Tourette syndrome as a teenager and became an ambassador for the condition. The film shows what it is like to live as a person with Tourette syndrome, but also holds up a mirror to the way we treat those we see as different. It’s brilliant.
MUSIC
I first came across Paul Williams' song Number One in the opening credits to James Acaster’s comedy special, Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999. It’s one of those songs that completely changes my mood.
I also follow a guy called Stephen Spencer on Instagram who turns his three-year-old daughter’s stories into songs. My favourite so far is Important Mermaid, but honestly, I would buy a whole album.
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BOOK
There are so many great Irish books to look forward to this year. The Red Mouth by Sheila Armstrong is out in July. It’s an extraordinary book that follows the lives of people who come in contact with a bog body. Another brilliant book out in July is Clara and Christina by Andrew Cunning. It tells the story of Clara, a younger woman tasked with interviewing an older writer she admires, the inimitable Christina. I adored it. I’m currently reading Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead and I’m loving it.
THEATRE
Last September, I went to The Party Girls in the Marlow Theatre in Canterbury, a play that followed the lives of the Mitford sisters. I went to the theatre by myself and ended up sitting beside two women – a mother and daughter – who were great company. This year, I am really looking forward to seeing The Beekeeper of Aleppo in the Gaiety.
TV
I really enjoyed the first season of The Last of Us – a television series based on a post-apocalyptic video game, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. The third episode of the first season is one of the finest episodes of television I’ve ever seen. It is like a film inside of a television series – perfectly shot, written and acted. It tells the story of a doomsday prepper, played by Bill Offerman, who is ready for the societal collapse and defends his patch of land until a stranger (Murray Bartlett) turns up looking for help.
GIG
I don’t seek out live music, but I do go to a storytelling event held once a month in The Black Box. It’s called Tenx9 and the concept is simple: nine people have up to ten minutes to tell a real-life story. The theme changes, depending on the month. The great thing about Tenx9 is that it is a free event – anyone can come along and tell a story or listen. It is the place where I read my work aloud for the first time. It’s brilliantly ran and curated by Paul Doran, and is a staple of the Belfast creative scene.
ART
While writing my novel Everything That Is Beautiful, I became obsessed with stained glass. I came across a Pinkie Maclure, a Scottish musician and stained-glass artist, speaking on a podcast. I immediately connected with how she spoke about the creative process. I hoped that her work was as good as it sounded. It was better. Maclure takes stained glass back to its roots, using its storytelling ability to explore contemporary issues. Her work is beautiful, but it’s also very funny and full of hidden surprises. I’m hoping to get over to Somerset to see her exhibition Earthly Spirits in East Quay this year.
As for stained glass in Ireland, we have an embarrassment of riches. My local church in Kildare has a beautiful window by George Walsh. In the Hugh Lane gallery, there is a panel intended for Harry Clarke’s Geneva Window, preserved because of a hairline fracture in the glass. Last year, I watched a wonderful documentary about the making of the Geneva Window hosted by Ardal O’Hanlon.
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PODCAST
Give me funny women talking to each other any day of the week. I’m doing a lot of driving at the moment and they keep me company: Ignore That Feeling, Keep It Tight, Middle Rage, My Therapist Ghosted Me, to name a few. I also love a good audiobook. I just finished listening to Kathy Burke narrating her memoir A Mind of My Own and have started Liza Minnelli’s memoir Kids, Wait Till You Hear This!
TECH
A robot hoover recently came into my life. We call him Domhnall Cleansome after the Black Mirror episode starring Domhnall Gleeson (you kind of had to be there.) I love Domhnall. He sweeps and mops and picks up dog hairs and trundles along, looking like a contestant who would get eaten alive on Robot Wars but is happy out in his realm of domesticity.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
I’d like to think that the next big thing would be a societal shift away from being chronically online. Moving outside of echo chambers and algorithms. Having conversations with people we disagree with. Being generous in our appraisals of others. That would be nice.
Everything That Is Beautiful is published by Manilla Press - read an extract here
