Fun and Games

Set on the same fictional island as, we follow the life of John Masterson over two summer months in 2009 as he and his three best friends attempt to break into the senior Gaelic football team; as he deals with the fallout of his parent's quiet separation in the run up to his sister's wedding day; as he seeks to understand and profit from his amorous relationship with a slightly older co-worker, Amber Goold. John is seventeen. He is blissfully unaware of the wider world, his own social class, and the limitations imposed on others. He is on the cusp of adulthood, on the cusp of leaving the Island. He is both compelled and disgusted by Amber, he is both compelled and disgusted by himself. The novel is told episodically on the dates of football training and matches—everything revolves around the team. is a novel focused on exploring sexuality and the seedy, ugly and yet still erotic sex experienced when young; social class and its firm borders; manhood and its frailties; friendship; family; and, of course, love.