Orchid & the Wasp : 'This Year's Conversations with Friends' Irish Times

'Caoilinn Hughes is a massive talent.' – Anthony Doerr, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of All the Light We Cannot See A dazzlingly original debut set in Dublin, London and New York, exploring the ethical underbelly of contemporary society through the coming-of-age of an utterly singular heroine: Gael Foess Orchid & the Wasp brings to life the charged, compulsive voice of Gael Foess – daughter of a self-interested investment banker and a once-formidable orchestral conductor, and sister to a vulnerable younger brother – as she strives to build a life raft in the midst of economic and familial collapse. Moving by wits alone, Gael cuts a swathe through the leather-lined, coke-dusted social clubs of London, the New York gallery scene and birth-throes of the Occupy movement. Written in heart-stoppingly vivid prose, Orchid & the Wasp is a modern-day Bildungsroman that chews through sexuality, class and contemporary politics and crackles with joyful fury and anarchic... Number of Words in Auth: 2 Formats : EPUB Number of Formats : 1 Has Cover : Yes Single Author : Caoilinn Hughes Original Source : Mirc New Files 06 23 Sorted Author by LN, FN: Hughes, Caoilinn Title Length : 017 Title Parm D : Orchid & the Wasp Title Parm F : Orchid & the Wasp Title Parm G : Orchid & the Wasp Title Parm A : Orchid & the Wasp Title Parm B : ( ES Lib Name : ^NIRC 2018-06 Record ID : 9395 Uncomma Author : Caoilinn Hughes Num of Aut : 1 'A gem of a novel ' Elle 'A winning debut ' The New Yorker 'Caoilinn Hughes is a massive talent.' Anthony Doerr, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of All the Light We Cannot See WINNER OF THE COLLYER BRISTOW PRIZE * SHORTLISTED FOR THE BUTLER LITERARY AWARD * SHORTLISTED FOR THE HEARST BIG BOOK AWARDS 2019 * LONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS' CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD * LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2020 Orchids are liars. They use pheromones to lure wasps in to become unwitting pollinators. In nature, such exploitative systems are rare. In society, they are everywhere. Gael Foess is a heroine of mythic proportions. Raised in Dublin by single-minded, careerist parents, she learns from an early age how ideals and ambitions can be compromised. When her father walks out during the 2008 crash, her family falls apart. Determined to build a life-raft for her loved ones, Gael sets off for London and New York, proving how little it takes to game the system - but is it really exploitation if the loser isn't aware of what he's losing? Written in electric, heart-stopping prose, Orchid & the Wasp is a dazzlingly original novel about gigantic ambitions and social upheaval, chewing through sexuality, class and politics with joyful, anarchic fury, announcing Caoilinn Hughes as a rising star of literary fiction. ‘A gem of a novel'Elle ‘A winning debut'The New Yorker ‘Caoilinn Hughes is a massive talent.'Anthony Doerr, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of All the Light We Cannot See WINNER OF THE COLLYER BRISTOW PRIZE Orchids are liars. They use pheromones to lure wasps in to become unwitting pollinators. In nature, such exploitative systems are rare. In society, they are everywhere. Gael Foess is a heroine of mythic proportions. Raised in Dublin by single-minded, careerist parents, she learns from an early age how ideals and ambitions can be compromised. When her father walks out during the 2008 crash, her family falls apart. Determined to build a life-raft for her loved ones, Gael sets off for London and New York, proving how little it takes to game the system - but is it really exploitation if the loser isn't aware of what he's losing? Written in electric, heart-stopping prose, Orchid & the Wasp is a dazzlingly original novel about gigantic ambitions and social upheaval, chewing through sexuality, class and politics with joyful, anarchic fury, announcing Caoilinn Hughes as a rising star of literary fiction. SHORTLISTED FOR THE BUTLER LITERARY AWARD • SHORTLISTED FOR THE HEARST BIG BOOK AWARDS 2019 • LONGLISTED FOR THE AUTHORS'CLUB BEST FIRST NOVEL AWARD • LONGLISTED FOR THE INTERNATIONAL DUBLIN LITERARY AWARD 2020 An Unforgettable Young Woman Navigates Dublin, London And New York, Striving To Build A Life Raft For Her Loved Ones In The Midst Of Economic And Familial Collapse. In This Debut Novel, Award-winning Irish Writer Caoilinn Hughes Introduces A Heroine Of Mythic Proportions In The Form Of One Gael Foess. Raised In Dublin By Single-minded, Careerist Parents, Gael Observes From A Young Age How A Person's Ambitions And Ideals Can Be Compromised. When Gael's Financier Father Walks Out During The Economic Crash Of 2008, Her Family Fractures. Her Mother, A Once-formidable Orchestral Conductor, Becomes A Shadow Of Her Former Self, And A Tragic Incident Prevents Her Unwell Brother Guthrie From Finishing School. Determined Not To Let Her Loved Ones Fall Victim To Circumstance, Gael Leaves Dublin For The Leather-lined, Coke-dusted Social Clubs Of London, Then Manhattan's Gallery Scene During The Throes Of The Occupy Movement, Always Working An Angle, But Slowly Becoming A Stranger To Those Who Know Her. Orchid & the Wasp brings to life the charged, compulsive voice of Gael Foess, daughter of a self-interested investment banker and a once-formidable orchestral conductor, and sister to a vulnerable younger brother, as she strives to build a life raft in the midst of economic and familial collapse. Moving by wits alone, Gael cuts a swathe through the leather-lined, coke-dusted social clubs of London, the New York gallery scene and birth-throes of the Occupy movement. Orchid & the Wasp is a modern-day Bildungsroman that chews through sexuality, class and contemporary politics. It examines how we can fail our loved ones by what we want for them; what makes for a good life; what we are owed and what we must earn; and how events in our lives can turn us into people we never intended to be An anarchic and hilarious portrait of a downwardly mobile family in post-crash Dublin A hilarious and anarchic portrait of a downwardly mobile family in post-crash Dublin