Helena Close – författare

I''ve always been ''the clever one''. So clever that I got 10 As in my Junior Cert. So clever that everyone knows I''m destined for great things. But my family chooses to ignore how clever I am when I tell them that all this is going to end badly.''This'' being my sister Fiona''s announcement that she is having a baby (father: Big; occupation: shady scumbag). At first, I swore I wouldn''t help her. After all, if she wants to be a pramface, that''s her problem. But I didn''t realise how much I''d love baby Harvey, and want to do everything in my power to protect him.Mam is doing her usual act of pretending everything''s fine. My brother Cian is in a world of his own. My shiny happy best friend Mark thinks I should stay out of it.But I can''t. So I try to figure out a way to get Big out of our lives for good. And once my plan is in motion, I can''t go back. No matter how much I sometimes want to.

The voices of Jane''s mum and dad ring in her ears. These days, they never stop fighting. She squeezes her eyes shut and wishes she could do the same with her ears. She resorts to the only thing she knows to help her cope. When her best friend Leah questions her about the criss-cross marks on her arms, Jane blames the cat. And when Leah tells her that true best friends shouldn''t keep secrets from each other, Jane knows that''s only talk. Everyone has secrets, even Leah. She never mentions her brother Jack, sometimes it''s as if he never even existed. And yet, his absence is so palpable you can almost touch it.Alison, Jack''s mum, escapes into her dreams, where she becomes reunited with her dead son. It is less than a year since he was killed in a tragic road accident, for which she blames herself, and the pain still feels like an open wound in her chest. She struggles to hold herself together for the sake of her family, but the strain is telling, and when she and Jane''s dad Dermot meet, it feels briefly that they are kindred spirits. But darker conclusions lie in wait.The Cut of Love explores two journeys of the heart, one of an adolescent girl, the other of a middle-aged woman. As their paths interweave, a remarkable story unfolds - at once modern and timeless -that is bitingly real, deeply tender and utterly unforgettable.

A Raven Award Winning Irish author''s North American debut. A moving YA novel about mental illness and recovery. 

18-year-old Saoirse can’t wait to leave school – but just before the final exams her ex-boyfriend dies by suicide. Everyone blames Saoirse – even Saoirse herself, who cheated on him with his best friend. She is shunned by her schoolmates and suffers unbearable levels of anxiety, which her useless counsellor does nothing to alleviate.

On the night of the prom, everything becomes too much and Saoirse makes a decision that lands her in a psychiatric hospital. Slowly, painfully, with the support of a friendly hospital cleaner, her old best friend, her kind and hilarious grandmother, and even her irritating sister, Saoirse regains hope of finding herself again.

How do you piece yourself back together when everything falls apart?

18-year-old Saoirse can’t wait to leave school. But just before the final exams, her ex-boyfriend dies by suicide. Everyone blames Saoirse – even Saoirse herself, who cheated on him with his best friend. Shunned by her schoolmates, she suffers unbearable levels of anxiety, which her useless counsellor does nothing to alleviate.

On prom night, everything becomes too much, and Saoirse makes a decision that lands her in a psychiatric hospital. Slowly, painfully, with the support of a friendly hospital cleaner, her old best friend, her kind and hilarious grandmother, and even her irritating sister, Saoirse regains hope of finding herself again.

"Things I Know" was nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Medal for Writing 2023.

Praise for "Things I Know":

"A bittersweet, honest look at loss and trauma." - Kirkus Reviews

"Close has a great ear for dialogue and a keen eye for the often-stifling dynamics of small-town life ... Read it - and buy a second copy to thrust into the hands of the next platitude-utterer you encounter." - Claire Hennessy, The Irish Times

"A delightfully scathing look at the platitudes around mental health ... The sharp wit of the protagonist Saoirse and the pitch-perfect dialogue make this book a pleasure to read." - The Irish Times

Helena Close is a renowned Irish author celebrated for her impactful young adult novels. Her debut, "The Gone Book," made history as the first Irish book nominated for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. Her later novel, "Things I Know," was nominated for the Yoto Carnegie Medal.