Other People's Lives is the latest book from journalist-turned-author Kathleen MacMahon.
It's her fifth novel, following bestsellers like This is How it Ends, Nothing But Blue Sky and The Home Scar, and a riveting tale of a pair of lifelong friends, the decisions we make in a heartbeat, and their consequences.
She talks Other People's Lives with Miriam O'Callaghan below.
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We asked Kathleen for her choice cultural picks...
FILM
The last film I saw in the cinema was Sirat. It's a Spanish production, but it flits between various languages, as a father goes in search of his daughter, who’s gone missing at a rave in the Moroccan desert. Nothing that happens in this movie is expected, and the rave scenes are out of this world. I’m dying to see it again when it starts streaming.
MUSIC
Old stuff. I listen to everything from country to folk and opera, with a special place in my heart for Linda Ronstadt and Tom Waits.
BOOK
I got an early copy of Sarah Gilmartin’s new book, Little Vanities. She’s a very elegant writer and this book is no exception. It’s a story of two couples who’ve known each other since college. When we meet them, things are starting to get a bit weird. This is a very grown-up, thoughtful account of adult relationships and the danger of desire.
THEATRE
Colin Murphy has a particular talent for telling stories of historical events through theatre. His latest play is Miasma, the story of a doctor working to fight a cholera epidemic in Dickensian London. As with all of Colin’s plays, the past is brought brilliantly to life.
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TV
I’ve been watching The Dark Wizard on HBO/NOW TV. It’s a four-part series about Dean Potter, a free solo climber and base jumper who died in 2015 after jumping in a wingsuit from Taft Point in Yosemite National Park. This series explores Potter’s extraordinary feats and the troubled mind that led him to pursue them. It’s completely gripping and quite wonderful.
GIG
Paul Simon in the 3Arena. I’ve loved Paul Simon all my life. If Bob Dylan is America’s great musical poet, Paul Simon is its great musical novelist. I’m fascinated by the purity of his approach to music, but it’s the lyrics that get me. He’s the most beautiful writer.
ART
My favourite painting in Ireland is Henri Fantin Latour’s 'Blush Roses in a Vase’ at the Hugh Lane Gallery in Dublin. The wonderful thing about a public art collection is that it belongs to the people. I think of that painting as mine and visit it any time I can.
(© Hugh Lane Gallery. Donated by Lady Ardilaun, 1905)
PODCAST
I’m totally addicted to The Rest is Politics, both the UK version and the US one. It’s the ultimate car-crash listening. It’s not good for my state of mind, but I can’t look away.
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TECH
I’m no good at tech, but I love the feature on my Kindle that translates words from Spanish to English when you press on them. That’s pretty cool.
THE NEXT BIG THING...
Human creativity. I’m betting it beats AI every time.
Other People's Lives is published by Penguin Sandycove
