THE MAKER'S NAME covers half a century of a provincial Irish business family, which could be microcosmic of the nation, from a first-time author. It’s a family saga. There’s a killing, but please don’t choose it if you expect to find a cast of suspects, a range of clues, with some red herrings, in a closed system like a remote island or a house cut off in a snowstorm. Sorry. But if you liked THE BEE STING, by Paul Murray (shortlisted for the Booker prize) or if you appreciated THE GATHERING by Ann Enright (Booker prize winner), or AMONGST WOMEN by John McGahern, or AMSTERDAM, by Ian McEwan, or FOSTER and SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE from Claire Keegan, you could relate to THE MAKER'S NAME.
