Second album syndrome is a well-known problem afflicting musicians, but the challenge of following up a huge literary success must be an equally daunting prospect. Anne Griffin’s debut novel, When All Is Said, was the bestselling debut of 2019 in Ireland, and has since sold a total of 120,000 copies across 16 languages. It was a gift of a story, told through the perfect structural device of Maurice Hannigan, an 84-year-old farmer, making five toasts over the course of an evening to the five most important people in his life.

Source: The Irish Times April 30, 2021 05:00 UTC