Book Club September '25 - May '26
Connect through the love of reading!
DCU will continue its ever popular book club next semester. This is the eight book club season and what a fantastic programme there is in store.
The format of the book club will continue in-person across various locations on campus. And, we have added lunch time events too! Staff, students and the local community get an opportunity to engage in a Q&A with guest authors as part of these moderated events.
As always there is no cost to join or attend, all you need are the books. Whether you borrow a copy from the library, buy your own print copy, download to your tablet, or download it on Audible, the format is up to you! The programme is developed by DCU Cultural Arts Office in partnership with DCU Library.
The Programme
Book in September: Service by Sarah Gilmartin
When: Thursday 18th September 2025 @ 13:00
Venue: Belvedere Library, St. Patrick's campus
To book: Eventbrite link here
Book in October: Henry, Henry by Allen Bratton
When: Thursday 16th October 2025 @ 18:30
Venue: Cregan Library, St. Patrick's campus
To book: Eventbrite link here
Book in November: Fun and Games by John Patrick McHugh
When: Thursday 20th November 2025 @ 18:30
Venue: Presidents Lounge, 1838, Glasnevin Campus
To book: Eventbrite link here
Book in January: The Best of Everything by Kit De Waal
When: Thursday 22nd January 2026 @ 18:30
Venue: Belvedere Library, St. Patrick's campus
To book: Eventbrite link here
Book in February: The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine
When: Thursday 19th February 2026 @ 18:30
Venue: Belvedere Library, St. Patrick's campus
To book: Eventbrite link here
Book in March: Youth by Kevin Curran
When: Thursday 19th March 2026 @ 18:30
Venue: Belvedere Library, St. Patrick's campus
To book: Eventbrite link here
Information on the books and writers featured
Book in September – Service by Sarah Gilmartin
A compelling exploration of complicity, power, and the aftermath of abuse, Service tells the story of a disgraced celebrity chef and the young woman whose life was changed by his actions. Set in the world of fine dining and media spin, this taut and timely novel examines how public narratives are constructed—and who gets to tell them. With cool precision and emotional depth, Service asks what justice looks like in the wake of scandal.
About the Author
Sarah Gilmartin is a critically acclaimed Irish writer and journalist. Her debut novel, Dinner Party, was shortlisted for the 2021 Irish Book Awards and the Kate O'Brien Award. Service, her second novel, further cements her reputation as a sharp observer of human behaviour and societal dynamics. A regular contributor to The Irish Times, Sarah teaches creative writing and lives in Dublin.
Book in October – Henry Henry by Allen Bratton
A bold, funny, and unforgettable debut set in 2014 London. Hal Lancaster—22, gay, Catholic, and heir to a fading dukedom—spends his days drifting between coke-fuelled parties and failed internships, all under the shadow of his domineering father. But when an unexpected romance disrupts the family dynamic, Hal begins to imagine a life beyond duty and guilt.
'Very funny... Its deeply felt pages flew by' GUARDIAN
About the Author
Allen Bratton was born in the United States. He holds an MA in English Language and Literatures, having written a thesis on medieval English kingship. He is the winner of the 2021 Sewanee Review Fiction Contest and was longlisted for the 2021 Deborah Rogers Foundation Writers Award. Henry Henry, shortlisted for the 2025 Lammy Awards, is his debut novel.
Book in November – Fun and Games by John Patrick McHugh
A powerful coming-of-age debut set on the west coast of Ireland. Seventeen-year-old John is stuck in a limbo summer—working dead-end shifts, reeling from family scandal, and falling into a messy romance with an older co-worker. As island life closes in, he’s forced to confront who he is and what he wants. Raw, tender, and sharply observed, this is a story about shame, desire, and the pull of home.
About the Author
John Patrick McHugh is the author of Fun and Games and the novel After Me Comes the Flood. His fiction has appeared in Granta, The Stinging Fly, BOMB, and Winter Papers. A graduate of Trinity College Dublin, he is from Galway and continues to write fiction and essays. Fun and Games was longlisted for the Edge Hill Prize and marks him as one of the most compelling new voices in Irish literature.
Book in January – The Best of Everything by Kit De Waal
Set in 1970s Britain, The Best of Everything follows Paulette, an auxiliary nurse from St Kitts whose carefully planned life unravels after her partner Denton suddenly dies, revealing unexpected truths. As Paulette wrestles with grief, she finds solace with Denton’s friend Garfield and becomes mother to his grandson, Nellie. Kit de Waal’s warm, nuanced prose weaves humor and tenderness into a moving exploration of loss, forgiveness, and the transformative power of kindness
About the Author
Kit de Waal is an Irish-British writer known for her powerful portrayals of underrepresented voices. Her debut novel My Name is Leon was a bestseller and adapted into a BBC drama. De Waal spent 15 years working in criminal and family law, and her writing reflects her deep understanding of social issues and the lives of people on the margins. She is a vocal advocate for inclusivity in publishing and founded the Kit de Waal Creative Writing Scholarship to support writers from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Book in February – The Benefactors by Wendy Erskine
In The Benefactors, we meet Frankie, Miriam, and Bronagh - very different women but all mothers to 18-year-old boys. They do not know each other yet, but when their sons are accused of sexually assaulting Misty Johnston, whose family lacks the wealth and social standing of their own, they'll leverage all the power of their position to protect their children. From the prize-winning author of Dance Move and Sweet Home, this is an astounding novel about intimate histories, class, money, and what being a parent means. Brutal, tender, and rigorously intelligent, The Benefactors is a daring, polyphonic presentation of modern-day Northern Ireland. It is also very funny.
About the Author
Wendy Erskine's debut novel The Benefactors is published by Sceptre and her two short story collections, Sweet Home and Dance Move, are published by The Stinging Fly Press and Picador. She was chosen by the Observer as a Best Debut Novelist of 2025 and has been listed for the Gordon Burn Prize, the Republic of Consciousness Prize, the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award and the Edge Hill Prize. She was awarded the Butler Prize for Literature and the Edge Hill Readers’ Prize. Dance Move was a BBC Radio 4 Book at Bedtime. Her writing on arts of all kinds, from sculpture to body-building, has been published in the Guardian and the Quietus among others, and for PVA Books she edited well I just kind of like it, an anthology about art in the home and the home as art. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, she is a frequent broadcaster, interviewer and willing collaborator on all manner of projects. She is also a secondary school teacher in Belfast.
Book in March – Youth by Kevin Curran
Youth dives into the lives of four teenagers in Ireland’s most diverse town, Balbriggan. Angel is about to finish school and discover if Drill music and YouTube fame can deliver on their promises. Princess is battling to escape her claustrophobic surroundings and go to university and Dean is ready to come out from under his famous father’s shadow, while Tanya, struggling with the spotlight of internet infamy, is still posting her dream life for all of her faithful followers. Twenty-first century life – hyper-sexualized, social media saturated, anxiety-plagued – is here. Living inside its characters’ heads, and negotiating their interior landscape, this book is a love song to the possibilities of youth.
About the Author
Kevin Curran is from Balbriggan and has been a secondary-school teacher in his hometown for over a decade. His fiction largely concentrates on working class life in the Dublin suburbs. His first novel, Beatsploitation, was published in 2013 and brought him national attention due to his depiction of Ireland’s new multicultural landscape. His second novel, Citizens, was published to critical acclaim in 2016, and he has published numerous short stories in major anthologies and literary journals such as The Stinging Fly. He has also written non-fiction for The Guardian and The Observer.