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The Go-between
The Go-between
Nov 14, 2025 6:42 AM

Author:L. P. Hartley,Douglas Brooks-Davies

The Go-between

The moving exploration of a young boy's loss of innocence

'The past is a foreign country: they do things differently there...'

When one long, hot summer, young Leo is staying with a school-friend at Brandham Hall, he begins to act as a messenger between Ted, the farmer, and Marian, the beautiful young woman up at the hall. He becomes drawn deeper and deeper into their dangerous game of deceit and desire, until his role brings him to a shocking and premature revelation. The haunting story of a young boy's awakening into the secrets of the adult world, The Go-Between is also an unforgettable evocation of the boundaries of Edwardian society. It was adapted into an internationally-successful film starring Julie Christie and Alan Bates.

Edited with an introduction and notes by Douglas Brooks-Davies

'Magical and disturbing'

Independent

'On a first reading, it is a beautifully wrought description of a small boy's loss of innocence long ago. But, visited a second time, the knowledge of approaching, unavoidable tragedy makes it far more poignant and painful'

Express

Reviews

Compelling … An accessible and essential book, which does great service to Irish history and charts the courage and steadfastness of the human spirit

—— Sunday Times

Heartbreaking and powerful

—— Her.ie

Powerful ... Conlon-McKenna has assembled an excellent cast of characters ... Myriad small, moving details help to illustrate the enormity of the tragedy

—— Irish Independent

Captivating … This well-researched novel brings the atrocity of the famine to life

—— Sunday Independent

(Marita Conlon-McKenna has) done a great service to history ... I thoroughly enjoyed this book, I raced through it ... It’s a must-add to your collection.

—— Ryan Tubridy, RTE Radio 1

There’s no doubt that The Hungry Road deserves attention: it’s a gripping read - full of mesmerising and horrifyingly visceral detail

—— Sunday Business Post

Conlon-McKenna writes about this period with great passion and fury, and even in the midst of all the tragedy, she finds a way to weave in a love story

—— RTÉ Guide

It’s a great read - it has the feeling of an epic film.

—— Mairead Ronan, Today FM

A Good Man slinks into the dark heart of a ripped-from-the-headlines crime fueled by toxic masculinity. As in Leila Slimani’s Lullaby, the slow unpeeling – layer by layer – of the conventions of sanity left me breathless, saddened, and spooked.

—— Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, author of Bittersweet

Think The Shining meets Grey Gardens ... One of the striking things about the book is Thomas’s icky tone, as he constantly romanticises, almost Disneyfies women ... The story slickly slides down its twisting descent. Katz has taken us inside the mind of the sort of man you hear about on the news and wonder about ... Sordidly gripping.

—— Observer

A striking modern tale of violence, sexual abuse and vindictiveness. Katz’s edgy novel examines a dysfunctional family, a failed relationship and a modern culture in which a violent man can see more to worry about in “invading” phone privacy than in violating a woman’s body.

—— Independent

Truly gripping … Ani Katz has created an edgy debut with a disturbingly unforgettable ending.

—— The Skinny

[A]n absorbing tale of shaky domestic balance

—— SHOTS Magazine

Riveting... An American Psycho for the 21st century... Superior psychological noir.

—— Daily Mail

[A] dark study of toxic masculinity ... Deeply atmospheric and morbidly compelling, with a near-total commitment to character that suggests a powerful talent … Accomplished.

—— Guardian

Katz's debut is one that will have readers gripped from the very first words until the last - and a book that will stay with you for a long while afterwards.

—— Her.ie

[A] smart debut, both compelling and disturbing, delivered with the kind of confidence that makes me keen to see what Katz will come up with next.

—— A Life in Books Blog

[G]ripping debut … Here’s a page-turner you’ll devour before the week is out

—— Stylist Daily Newsletter

A razor sharp psychological deconstruction of the motivations, regrets and secrets behind a picture-perfect façade.

—— The Week

White-knuckle ride

—— RTE Guide

I really wanted to just press the book into anyone’s hands and say ‘please read this’! [...] An important read

—— Bookish Chat

Readers hungry for an in-depth study of a man searching for control, power and ownership will find satisfaction in A Good Man. But caveat emptor - this story inevitably hurtles at the end towards a chilling finale

—— Crime Review

This stellar debut from Ani Katz had us gripped from the beginning.

—— That’s Life!
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