THE INSTANT IRISH TIMES BESTSELLER
SHORTLISTED FOR THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS NOVEL OF THE YEAR
WINNER OF AUTHOR OF THE YEAR AT THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS

The deeply moving story of the O’Connor family, its troubled past in the West of Ireland, and a love story of second chances from the Booker-longlisted author of How to Build a Boat

'A haunting powerful page turner that will have you in its thrall' GABRIEL BYRNE
'One of Ireland’s shining literary stars...an energetic and vivid voice' THE TIMES
‘Full of humanity, a story for our times’ MARY COSTELLO
‘I loved this book’ LOUISE KENNEDY
‘Superb’ IRISH TIMES

Claire O’Connor’s life has been on hold since she broke up with Tom Morton and moved back home to the rugged West of Ireland to care for her dying father. She spends her days getting lost online, going to work and minding her own business. But Claire is thrown back into a love she thought she’d left behind when Tom unexpectedly moves nearby, stirring up haunting memories trapped within the walls of the old family house. As the secrets of the past are revealed, Claire must confront whether she can escape her history to make a future for herself.

'This book touched my soul' KATRIONA O'SULLIVAN

'I believe this is the best book of the year' Oliver Callan, RTE RADIO

'Hugely powerful' DAILY MAIL

'One of Irish literature's most gifted and persuasive storytellers' SINÉAD GLEESON

'Sizzling, electric... charged with humour and anger... I loved it' JENNY MUSTARD

'Clear-eyed and deep-hearted... packs an intellectual and emotional punch' CLAIRE-LOUISE BENNETT

"One of Ireland’s shining literary stars...an energetic and vivid voice'" - The Times

"Feeney’s astute lyricism makes for a marvellously engaging story" - Mail on Sunday

"A very strong novel and I was gripped by it throughout" - RTE Radio

"Superb... Feeney examines everything from intergenerational trauma and violence to tradwives, with insight, wit and compassion" - Irish Times, Summer Reads

"An ambitious, thoughtful, nicely layered book" - Irish Times

"A true gift to Irish literature... Feeney's work has the power to articulate, with such great empathy, the truths of our country that were drowned in cultural silence" - Irish Times Books of the Year

"Elaine Feeney is a force to be reckoned with. Let Me Go Mad In My Own Way was one of the most talked-about books of 2025, and it deserves every bit of praise and then some... Let Me Go Mad In My Own Way is a masterpiece, and you're seriously missing out if you've not read it yet" - Her.ie Books of the Year

"Feeney has created a brilliant metaphor in the O’Connor family home… It’s a hugely satisfying, sophisticated structure" - Guardian

"A strong story that packs an emotional punch ... In presenting both a political and personal history, Feeney delivers a moving meditation on enforced female roles in Irish society both past and present, the heavy pall of grief and the unceasing encroachment of the past into the present" - Irish Independent

"This book sucked me in completely... Feeney’s writing is lyrical, real, and powerful... I will be dipping into this book again and again" - Irish Examiner Books of the Year

"Conveyed with lyricism and longing." - Observer, *Books to Look Out For 2025*

"A powerful, poignant book" - Economist, *The Best Books of the Year So far*