Rousseau's Lost Children

Praise for Cells * : *‘Flayingly authentic and sensationally compelling … One of the best books of the year’ * Observer *Cells is a raw, throbbing thing; the literary equivalent of an open wound, but one that’s been cauterised by a highly skilled surgeon … the story of the making of an acutely talented writer … One of the very best, most authentic, beautiful, and brutal depictions of a deep and abiding, albeit imperfect love between a son and his mother * The Telegraph *‘Raw and deeply affecting’ * Guardian *‘A heart-stopping excavation of the self … Cells will heighten the capacity for empathy in all who read it. Not least of all, empathy for the self’ * Irish Times *‘Beautifully written, fearless, vulnerable, self-aware … Cells will comfortably sit alongside other great Irish memoirs by Nuala O’Faolain and John McGahern’ – Colum McCann

Gavin McCrea’s first novel, Mrs Engels (2015), was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize and the Walter Scott Prize, and longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. His second novel, The Sisters Mao (2021), received high acclaim internationally. His first work of non-fiction, Cells (2022), was chosen as a book of the year by The Observer, The Irish Times and the Irish Independent. His articles have appeared in The Paris Review, The Guardian, The Irish Times, The Dublin Review, Lithub and Catapult.