As her Women's Prize-winning novel heads to the Oscars, we rank the author's best works - from tales of new motherhood to a life-changing memoir about mortality.
10. My Lover's Lover (2002)
The shadow of a former lover is always challenging, especially if you mistakenly believe she is dead. This is the unwelcome situation for Lily, the protagonist of O'Farrell's second novel, who falls in love with the dashing architect Marcus and quickly decides to live with him. Lily takes Marcus's assurance that his ex, Sinead, is "no longer with us," for granted, but in fact Sinead has simply been abandoned. The novel is particularly compelling in its details of the collapse of her relationship with Marcus, with Gothic allusions to the ghost that deepen the central message: Marcus is almost a series of red flags.
9. The Distance Between Us (2004)
Heritage and a sense of belonging dominate much of O'Farrell's work, and the gradual dissemination of information to readers often propels her narratives. She is also interested in travel, both literal and figurative. The novel begins in Hong Kong, where Chinese New Year celebrations are interrupted by sudden and dangerous chaos. Meanwhile, a woman on a London bridge sees a familiar face and takes it as a sign to leave the place. The intense events initially seem to make no sense, but the contrast between the characters' immediate isolation and their complex and populated background draws readers in.
8. The Hand That First Held Mine (2010)
O'Farrell often returns to themes of new motherhood and the trauma of previous generations, and here she constructs two stories that mirror each other. We first meet Elina, an artist in contemporary London, who experiences the aftermath of the birth of her first child, and Lexie, who arrives in the capital in the 50s from a small town and is immediately confronted with a transgressive love story. The connection between them unfolds over time, but the portrait of life before and after birth – characterized by the reconstruction of identity – holds the reader's attention.
7. After You'd Gone (2000)
O'Farrell's first novel won the Betty Trask Award. The main character, Alice, is in a coma after a catastrophic event. A sudden realization strikes Alice in a public restroom after the accident, taking the reader back to her childhood and her mother's difficult life. Other stories develop a romance threatened by cultural and religious clashes, showing the author's interest in taboos and their long-term effects.
6. Instructions for a Heatwave (2013)
Those who don't remember the drying up of the river and communal water pumps during Britain's 1976 heatwave will enjoy the historical detail of this novel, a mystery about a missing person. The person in question is Robert Riordan, a newly retired Irishman from London who goes out one morning to pick up the newspaper and doesn't return. His adult children are forced to support their mother and feel physically suffocated, creating a brilliant family drama.
5. The Marriage Portrait (2022)
A chilling episode of Renaissance martial history and a Victorian poem form the basis of this novel, which reconstructs the fate of Lucrezia de' Medici, the young bride of the Duke of Ferrara. Her death in 1561, probably by poisoning, inspired Robert Browning's My Last Duchess. O'Farrell examines how easily women and girls could be moved between dynastic families and luxurious palaces, reflecting on their lack of autonomy.
4. This Must Be the Place (2016)
The story of Claudette Wells, a film star who has retired from the stage and lives in seclusion in Donegal, is told through multiple narratives and timelines, creating a kaleidoscopic effect. Claudette's husband, Daniel, tries to put all the pieces together and determine if the marriage can survive.
3. The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox (2006)
Before Hamnet, O'Farrell explored historical fiction to great effect. The novel tells the story of Esme Lennox, who was committed to a psychiatric institution 60 years earlier for questionable reasons. The story is gradually revealed by her niece, Iris, and deals with family secrets and historical injustices.
2. I Am, I Am, I Am: Seventeen Brushes With Death (2017)
This memoir describes several events that came close to ending the author's life, from childhood encephalitis to dangerous experiences as a performer. The book closes with a powerful essay about her daughter's daily battle with a life-threatening immune condition.
1. Hamnet (2020)
Before Chloe Zhao, Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal brought Hamnet to the screen, O'Farrell's eighth novel was a huge success, winning the Women's Prize and expanding her readership. The novel focuses on Agnes, Shakespeare's wife, rather than William, revealing her pain and skills as a wise and experienced physician, rather than her historically overlooked role. /GazetaExpress/
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