Trouble

A Memoir

By: Marise Gaughan

Narrated by: Marise Gaughan

Marise was nine when she first realised there was trouble, 14 when her dad tried to end it all, and 23 when he finally succeeded.

In a turmoil of conflicting emotions, Marise runs - from Dublin to Amsterdam to Los Angeles, leaving a trail of sex and self-destruction in her wake. Until finally, she finds herself facing what she's become in a California psych ward, a girl imploding through trying to make sense of her father's suicide.

As she retells her unravelling, from child to adult, Marise strips back her identity and her relationship with her father, layer by layer, until she starts to understand how to live with him, years after he has gone.

Written beautifully, with wit and unflinching honesty, Marise has produced one of the most profound coming-of-age memoirs of recent years, a stunning new voice in Irish writing.

©2022 Marise Gaughan (P)2022 Octopus Publishing Group

Even better in the voice of the author.

Marise's voice is distinctive, and I knew it would be better to hear this story in her voice than read it myself. I was right.

Quite engaging, well read, and several times I found myself crying and then laughing within minutes of each other.

It's dark, with only glimmers of hope (the quality of writing being one of them)... and a total mess and an adventure and I rather enjoyed it.