Estelle Birdy’s gritty debut nods to Irvine Welsh as Dublin’s angry young men struggle to come of age

Fiction

Estelle Birdy's debut novel doesn't hold back with its vivid descriptions of Dublin city life

Lorraine Courtney

Dundalk writer ­Estelle Birdy’s debut ­novel hits the ground ­running with a ­masterstroke ­opening – a funeral.

This immediately immerses us in the gritty reality of her ­characters’ lives, setting the stage for a coming-of-age tale with shades of Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting and Zadie Smith’s White Teeth.