''Where They Were Missed'' is the

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

from Northern Irish author

Lucy Caldwell Lucy Caldwell (born 1981) is a People of Northern Ireland, Northern Irish playwright and novelist. She was the winner of the 2021 BBC National Short Story Award and of the 2023 Walter Scott Prize. Biography She was born in Belfast in 1981 in w ...

(though she had previously written plays). It was shortlisted for the inaugural

Dylan Thomas Prize The Dylan Thomas Prize is a leading prize for young writers presented annually. The prize, named in honour of the Welsh writer and poet Dylan Thomas, brings international prestige and a remuneration of £30,000 (~$46,000). It is open to published w ...

and the

Waverton Good Read Award The Waverton Good Read Award was founded in 2003 by villagers in Waverton, Chester, England, and is based on ''Le Prix de la Cadière d'Azur'', a literary prize awarded by a Provençal village. Adult debut novels written by UK residents and ...

. It was named by ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

's''

Glenn Patterson Glenn Patterson FRSL (born 1961) is a writer from Belfast, Northern Ireland, best known as a novelist. In 2023, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Early life Patterson was born in Belfast, where he attended Methodist Col ...

as one of the 'top 10 Belfast books'.

Plot introduction

The first part of the novel is set in 1980s Protestant East Belfast and is told through the eyes of six-year-old Saoirse whose father is in the RUC and mother, a Catholic from Donegal struggles to cope with the sectarian pressures and turns to drink. Tragedy then strikes and they are forced to leave Belfast... The second part of the novel takes place ten years later in

Gweebarra Bay Gweebarra Bay () is located on the west coast of County Donegal, in Ireland. The mouth of the River Gweebarra and Inishkeel Island are here. The towns near the bay are Narin, Portnoo, Lettermacaward, and Cor. References in popular cultur ...

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county of the Republic of Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is the northernmost county of Ireland. The county mostly borders Northern Ireland, sharing only a small b ...

where the teenage Saoirse discovers the secret behind her family's dislocation.

Reception

*It was described by ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...

'' as "a debut reminiscent of

Ian McEwan Ian Russell McEwan (born 21 June 1948) is a British novelist and screenwriter. In 2008, ''The Times'' featured him on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945" and ''The Daily Telegraph'' ranked him number 19 in its list of the ...

's ''

The Cement Garden ''The Cement Garden'' is a 1978 novel by Ian McEwan. It was adapted into a 1993 film of the same name by Andrew Birkin, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg and Andrew Robertson. ''The Cement Garden'' has had a positive reception since its original ...

'' and

Trezza Azzopardi Trezza Azzopardi (born 1961) is a Welsh writer who has been shortlisted for the Booker Prize and won several other literary prizes. Early life Azzopardi was born in Cardiff to a Maltese father and a Welsh mother. She studied creative writing at ...

's '' The Hiding Place''." *David Pierce wrote in ''Irish Studies Around the World'' that "I can think of very few novels written by an author in her early twenties which are as accomplished as this one. Caldwell has a keen eye for hauntings, for what’s been lost, for false strings, only now the loss is wrapped in the continuing trauma of sectarianism and the Troubles." *''

The Tablet ''The Tablet'' is a Catholic Church, Catholic international weekly review published in London. Brendan Walsh, previously literary editor and then acting editor, was appointed editor in July 2017. History ''The Tablet'' was launched in 1840 by ...

'' said "It is difficult to do justice to the remarkable nature of this novel, so searing in its presentation of naked sorrow and so moving in the heroine’s courage."

References

External links

*{{official website, http://www.lucycaldwell.com/novels.html 2006 British novels 2006 debut novels Books about the Troubles (Northern Ireland) County Donegal in fiction Novels from Northern Ireland Novels set in Belfast Novels set in Ireland Viking Press books