Upon its original publication in 1996, Are You Somebody? quickly became an cultural sensation in Ireland, sparking an ‘emotional episode in public life in Ireland’. O’Faolain’s striking candour and focus on the long‑silenced experiences of Irish women helped the book become an international bestseller.
Are You Somebody? is an extraordinary memoir that explores identity, love and the search for meaning in a changing Ireland. Nuala O’Faolain shares her life with unflinching honesty – her struggles, triumphs and the questions that shaped her journey.
This is more than a memoir; it’s a conversation about what it means to live fully, to question deeply and to embrace vulnerability.
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'A beautiful exploration of human loneliness and happiness, of contentment and longing.'
" - Washington Post
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'[An] astonishing book ... a classic of Irish autobiography.'
" - Times Literary Supplement
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'A rich, fierce memoir.'
" - The New Yorker
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'This book has to be read.'
" - The New York Times
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'It still has the power to astonish.'
" - Backlisted.fm
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'It’s a powerhouse of a read, and you come away from it feeling as if you really got to know the lonely, flawed and hugely intelligent and brave woman who wrote it.'
" - Reading Matters
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'[It] may be the truest memoir I have ever read. There was no detailed spared in the retelling of her life. The good, and frankly quite a lot of bad, were written in the pages giving the reader a true look into the life of Nuala and many other women growing up in Ireland in this time period.'
" - What Is That Book About?
