This is an exquisite and unusual novel about the deals we make to know ourselves and the journeys we choose to take in order to accept who we are. Told over a generation of longing, the story centres on Anna, a quiet and clever woman and her personal grapplings with the ideas behind devotion and love.

The story begins in Dublin, 1985, with Anna falling fully in love with an older man, Peter. He is not a caring man, but he is consistent and their relationship allows Anna space to consider novels, music, and gardens. After that relationship falls over, she meets Karim, a kind, lost soul who encourages her to convert to Islam. He is devoted to her but does not allow her space to expand.

A Beautiful Loan is Irish writer Mary Costello’s fourth novel (she also has two short-story collections) and it is reminiscent of our own Australian Elizabeth Harrower’s works in that it is a gentle yet ferocious story: the truths of women’s lives are laid bare against religion, masculinity, and family. It is the type of novel that raises questions. Does love in a relationship only work if we compromise? Are relationships all tainted by rules? Where does personal contentment land in a relationship? Are you truly yourself if you are in love?

I found it utterly compelling reading and a wonderful acknowledgement of a woman’s need for tenacity. Those who have loved the simple, elegant prose of Claire Keegan will be delighted by this book, knowing, as we do, that it is the words that are not used that so often speak the loudest truth.