Sugartown

by Caragh Maxwell

An Irish Sunday Independent Book of the Year Pick for 2025!

'I loved this novel for its rawness, its assured writing, and its empathetic characters. Caragh Maxwell is a writer to watch.' Irish Examiner

For fans of Sally Rooney and Megan Nolan comes a remarkable new Irish debut about growing up and moving backwards

What do you do when you've ruined your life? You go home to your mother, if you're lucky enough still to have one. Saoirse Maher wouldn't recommend it.

Leaving home wasn't supposed to be temporary. When she moved to London, Saoirse was leaving Ireland behind for good, and with it her messy, broken family. But it turns out that starting again isn't as easy as she imagined, and when her five-year relationship goes south, Saoirse finds herself out of options. And so here she is, trudging back to her mother Máire's house up a side road on the outskirts of Irish civilisation.

Except the world she comes back to is nothing like the one she left behind. Her mother has a new family, and everyone else seems to be moving on. But between the drinking, drugs, and an entirely healthy, not-problematic-at-all-thanks relationship with Charlie, there's plenty to distract her.

Don't look too closely, and everything's fine. Saoirse is just fine.

'This is such an absorbing read; shocking and brutal at times, but incredibly tender at others. Fans of Megan Nolan or Niamh Mulvey will love it.' NIAMH HARGAN

Genres: Fiction, Irish Literature, Ireland, Novels, Ebooks

205 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 18, 2025

Reviews

[✦denisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

sally rooney wanna be vibes...
this one… hmm. it’s easy to read, the setting is okay, and the characters are okay, but it didn’t grab me the way i hoped. still a fine, light, lowkey read if you’re in the mood for something easy to follow, just not as sharp or memorable as i wanted.

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

Awful.This story has been told many times before,and much better.Predictable, clichéd.

[Patricija || book.duo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

Viena tų lėtų, skaudžių, šiaip jau ganėtinai depresiškų istorijų, kuriose tarsi nieko per daug neįvyksta, bet aš vis tiek pasijaučiau įsitraukusi. Labai airiška, labai gerai papildanti tą liūdnų mažų miestelių ir juose gyvenančių liūdnų mažų žmogelių kategoriją, kur nuo pat pradžių žinai, kad apie jokias laimingas pabaigas čia turbūt negali eiti nė kalbos, bet šiuo atveju, jei jums tai svarbu, o ir ne joks spoileris, pabaiga vilties suteikia. Tik tiek – nieko daugiau ir nežadėjo, nieko daugiau ir negalėtų pasiūlyti, nes turi likti ištikima žanrui. Aišku, kaip ir visos airės, rašančios tokias knygas, Maxwell sulaukia lyginimo su Rooney ir Nolan. Mano akyse ji tikrai netempia iki nei vienos iš jų, bet tai jokiu būdu nereiškia, kad knyga neverta dėmesio – tiesiog kad ta airių kartelė baisiai aukštai.

Veikėjai čia įvairūs, tik, aišku, vienodai nelaimingi, daug purvo ir alkoholio, liūdesio ir nesusikalbėjimų, saviplakos ir visa mental issues puokštė, perduodama iš kartos į kartą, ignoruojama iki kol kas nors nesugriūna taip, kad ignoruoti nebeišeina. Yra ir meilės istorija, jei pasirenkame ją taip vadinti, labai realistiška ir pažįstama daugeliui, deitinusių kažkada tarp 2015-2025-ų metų. O kai kurie dalykai išvis amžini, tik galvoju, kad visgi tiems, kam iki trisdešimt, turbūt surezonuos labiausiai, nes pasirodys atpažįstamiausia. Bet ar ne panašiai su Rooney ir Nolan? Aišku, tie „iki trisdešimt“ irgi turi būti tam tikro tipažo, aplinkos ir požiūrio, bet jei jaučiat, kad jums gali rezonuoti šita liūdna neilga istorija, siūlau pamėginti – žanrui nieko labai naujo nepasiūlo, bet stovi ant savų kojų solidžiai.

[Tessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

irish literature somehow really manages to strike the balance between being super raw and honest and very subtle at the same time - this one shows that once again. loved reading about saoirse and her navigating life in her 20s - it simply is fricking hard.

[Madelief BK · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5⭐️
Dit boek gekocht tijdens een dagtrip naar Kilkenny in Ierland. Het gaat over de 23-jarige Saoirse die vanuit Londen terug moet verhuizen naar haar kleine geboorte dorp in Ierland, en over alle moeilijkheden die daarbij komen kijken: oude vrienden, nieuwe gezinsopstelling, terugkerend familie trauma. Vond het een heel mooi en rauw boek, met interessante verhaallijnen voor de bijpersonages. Soms werd ik er tijdens het lezen ook een beetje ongemakkelijk van dus dan deed het echt wat met me.

[Oisin O · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little too close to home.

[Orla Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ouch!

[Ted · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the writing style in this book. Every scene and situation is described so well that I feel like I know Saoirse, the main character. An impressive debut novel from Caragh Maxwell.

[helena · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gave me war flashbacks.

[Kerri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing was done well in this but I fear I've read one too many "messed up girl in their early 20s" novel. Bonus points for being set in Mullingar tho

[Brontey · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars ⭐️


About a sad girl, for sad girls.

Beautiful writing, full of heart, and packed with infuriating characters.

[Audrey D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sugartown by Caragh Maxwell is a stunning debut novel. Raw, desperate and tender, it has left me looking forward to the next book of Caragh's. I read somewhere that Sugartown had over 40 rejections - I can't believe that!!! The publishers who rejected it should give their heads a wobble! I'm glad Caragh persevered.

[Sally Hobson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perhaps a 4 star - maybe. I enjoyed aspects of all the characters besides Connor but the storyline was not very gripping. The story lacked any real substance so I actually cannot fathom anything more to say.

[Delaney Sweet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely blazing debut. Ate this up in about a day. It was so dear and really for the kids whose main activity in high school was driving around with boys

[Clara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il m’a fallu quelques pages pour rentrer dedans, le style est à la fois dense et très tell. Et en même temps, une fois plongée dedans, j’ai vraiment beaucoup aimé cette lecture. J’ai aimé ce que ça dit de rentrer chez soi après avoir grandi, j’ai aimé cette relation mère/fille complexe et tranchante, j’ai adoré Saoirse (vraiment, son perso m’a beaucoup touchée : son alcoolisme, sa haine de soi, son côté autodestructeur qui m’a tellement donné envie de la prendre dans mes bras) et j’ai adoré l’histoire, en fait.

Oui, c’est simple et oui, ça a peut-être déjà été dit, mais ça fait quand même du bien de le relire et, surtout, c’est bien fait. La fin m’a beaucoup touchée et j’ai aimé les notes d’espoir, car ce roman rappelle, je crois, la violence de vivre, souvent.

[Demi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Mairead Hearne (swirlandthread.com) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sugartown by Caragh Maxwell published September 18th with Oneworld and was shortlisted for the recent An Post Irish Book Awards 2025. It is described as ‘a remarkable new Irish debut about growing up and moving backwards' and is recommended for fans of Sally Rooney and Megan Nolan.

Recently I watched The Walsh Sisters(Marian Keyes screen adaptation) and Saoirse Maher reminded me in so many ways of Rachel Walsh. Saoirse Maher is lost. In her twenties, her relationship has crumbled and she has been left with no choice but to return home to Ireland. When she had emigrated to London, she thought she would never be back again but now, broke and defeated, her options are non-existent. Saoirse had a difficult childhood. Born to young parents, unable to fulfil their role, Saoirse watched her mother and father drink too much and fail to look after her, leaving her often in the care of her grandmother. As soon as she could Saoirse had turned her back on her Irish life ready to begin again but now, inevitably, she is sucked right back into life in a rural town with all that it entails.

Saoirse has little confidence and she hides behind any drink and drugs that she can get her hands on. Her mother, Máire, now in a new relationship, has three little girls and is struggling to accept Saoirse back into her life. Máire is very tightly strung and can’t abide the lack of motivation she recognises in Saoirse. Having made a mess of her own early years, it’s clear that having Saoirse back in her life, is something she could do without.

Saoirse tries really hard to fit back in. She gets a local job, she falls in love, she reconnects with old friends but her mind is too messed up to settle. Every night out results in Saoirse stumbling out the door of the pub, falling down the steps of a nightclub or blacking out.

Saoirse Maher has issues. With jarring descriptions her exploits and thought-processes are brilliantly depicted as she struggles to get out of bed every day. There is a lingering sense of loss surrounding her that permeates everything she does. It’s clear that she knows she should do better but she can’t. She is like a wrecking ball in so many aspects of her life and, while back home, the magnifying glass is focused on her every move.

Caragh Maxwell has written a very striking debut that lingers well after the final page. Her ability to pinpoint Saoirse’s thoughts and feelings with such clarity is expertly done and will resonate with many. Heart-breaking, raw, and intense Sugartown offers a tender yet unflinching look at addiction. It tracks a flawed protagonist spiralling through ever-evolving circumstances while desperately fighting to cope. Gritty and deeply moving, Sugartown is a cracking tale, one that promises great things for Caragh Maxwell’s future work.

[Nadine WM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/3.75

This was a difficult read simply because I could relate to it, in a harsh and unyielding way. I can’t even call it beautiful, it’s just very bleak

-

She would have preferred to forget he ever existed at all. But there I was, every day, the slope of my nose and the jut of my chin reminding her.

-

I had begun to understand the inevitability of suffering. My mother liked to say I had an old soul. I suspect it had more to do with the way we were living.

-

We were all made of stardust; loose atoms and glittering molecules, glued together by the idea of meaning something. Mattering. Matter was the only matter and my eyes could not make it stick.

I could see the earth, a round blue ball hovering on the edge of nothingness, swathed in cloud and swirled with moss. I was not visible. I was not even a speck, a wink, a sparkle. I was nothing, just as everyone around me was nothing, bacteria on the crag of a rock hurtling through a vacuum with no understanding of the beginning or the end, or what comes after the end, or if anything even came before the beginning or after the end. Everything I had done and ever would do amounted to a flatline this far up. In the glaring darkness of the Milky Way, my emotions were moot, my experiences a blip on an infinite calendar, a dot of ink on the trillionth Friday of the billionth April of the millionth year. I am a void, I whispered to myself.

-

My mother made me the keeper of her happiness and then blithely unmade me, like it was nothing.

She said she didn’t know what to do with me. Neither did I.

-

Why was I so difficult to love?
Why didn’t I stay in college or even do a course, why didn’t I have a single iota of ambition? Why didn’t I care enough about anything to be anything worth caring about?

-

I wasn’t supposed to be here. That was always the problem.
Who was I, if not the sum of every bad thing that had ever happened to me?

-

She loved me because I was her child. She was furious with me for the same reason.

I could feel the fury thrumming in her pulse, the rage, the disappointment that, in the end, I had turned out just like the both of them.

-

The thought of having no control over myself was no longer appealing. Big girls don’t relinquish control to the ether. They seize the wheel and keep themselves on the goddamned road.

I couldn’t need my mother ever again. My father, either.

-

Nothing is permanent except transience. Things can change and be changed back again. Sometimes pain isn’t decimation; it’s growth. Growing hurts too.

You’ll be okay. You survived every day of your life so far, you’ll survive the next few.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book so much. An easy five star read. 👏🏻

What do you do when you’ve ruined your life? You go home to your mother. Saoirse Maher wouldn’t recommend it though. Saoirse leaves a messy break up in London to go back home to live in Ireland with her mother. Except the world she comes back to is nothing like the one she left behind. Her mother has a new family, and everyone else seems to be moving on…

Sugartown felt very close to home for me. Almost nostalgic. There was a time in my early twenties where I felt like I was spiralling like Saoirse. I had broken up with my boyfriend at the time and I didn’t really know what I was doing with my life nor who I was, I had outgrown some of my friends and my hometown felt suffocating. I was working in London and I was partying a lot to just escape and every come down just made my anxiety worse. This book was all of that. I could even relate to the Irish upbringing. My mum is Irish and she was tough. Although she was nothing like the mam in this book.

“Nobody Irish was ever too willing to let me feel sorry for myself.”

This book is about growing up and realising you’ve outgrown a place and people you once thought you knew. It’s about finding yourself again. I was rooting for Saoirse. She’s a character I could be friends with in real life. I also loved that female friendship was the core of this book too. Doireann was a star.

Sugartown had everything I love in a novel. It was painstakingly real, it describes growing up in nutshell and is so relatable. It was emotional, tragic, heartbreaking and sad and left me thinking about it long after I finished. I had a lump in my throat a few times and I felt everything and loved every page.

[Chlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review in the September issue of Hot Press magazine:

Sligo-based writer Caragh Maxwell has released her raw, compelling debut novel Sugartown. In undulating waves of tenderness and heartbreaking authenticity, cut through with Maxwell’s razor-sharp wit, Sugartown is the anti-coming-of-age novel. When protagonist Saoirse’s life after emigrating doesn’t go as planned, she moves back to a hometown that’s both comfortingly familiar and painfully different. Filling time with drugs, drinks, old friends and a new lover, she finds her usual coping mechanisms fail to cushion the blow. She’s forced to come to terms with all parts of herself, even the ones she’d rather bury under substances and unhealthy relationships. Maxwell prompts readers to ask the same questions of themselves: what do you outgrow when you’ve grown up? How do you make peace with yourself in a less-than-peaceful life? The novel digs into themes of childhood, adulthood and the self-realisation that comes with reconciling the two. Maxwell’s candid voice lends itself expertly to an intricate, introspective prose, opening a window to the not-so-pretty parts of womanhood and what comes with it. For an absorbing examination of the self in all its grunge and glitter, Maxwell is the voice to hear.

[Regan Collison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What an incredible debut. More people need to get on Sugartown. Caragh Maxwell has truly created something special.

The novel gave me Sally Rooney vibes, especially with the lack of quotation marks, which I think cleverly mirrored the miscommunication between characters. But dare I say, Maxwell did it better. Like Normal People, Sugartown explores class divides, messy relationships, and fractured communication, but the writing felt even more raw and beautiful. I underlined so many quotes because of the way she captured emotions so perfectly.

What stood out most to me was the friendship between Saoirse and Dorieanne. Their bond showed what female friendship should be: loyal, messy, supportive, and real , even when chaos was unfolding. Maxwell gave side characters just enough depth (like Dorieanne’s pregnancy and her awful boyfriend) without overshadowing the main story, making the world feel layered while keeping the focus on Saoirse’s journey.

Saoirse and Charlie’s relationship was both intoxicating and painful. I felt every butterfly, every frustration, and every heartbreak right alongside her. It was unfair how Charlie couldn’t step up or be honest, but it was written so beautifully that I rode through all the highs, lows, drunken nights, laughter, and tears with her.

The exploration of family trauma hit hard too, Saoirse’s strained relationship with her mother, the sense of being the black sheep, and the way her mum treated her compared to her younger siblings. Even the detail that she called her mother by her first name was powerful.

Despite juggling multiple storylines in such a short novel, Maxwell executed it brilliantly. I never felt lost or like anything was missing, I understood each character’s feelings deeply, but the heart of the book always stayed with Saoirse.

The ending tied it all together beautifully. When Saoirse reflected that “nothing is permanent except transience… sometimes pain isn’t decimation, it’s growth. Growing hurts too” and then flashed back to a childhood memory, it showed she had finally reached peace. It felt like she was offering healing to her younger self, a poignant, full-circle close to her journey.

[Sheila Kinsella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Filled with pathos, the reader gets into the head of the main protagonist, Saoirse. I wanted to take her home, feed her and give her a big hug. God love her.
Just the first line: 'No one came to collect me from the airport.' Aw, bless.
But it doesn't feel that she's sorry for herself. It just feels that she didn't have a good start in life.
After going off to London, the uptown boyfriend dumps her, and she heads back home to midlands Ireland to find that nothing changed.
Without spoiling the story for you, her mum and her clash, her father has his own issues.
Basically, she's a lost soul who sets about finding herself. Although it takes time. But it's definitely worth a read.
I love Caragh's use of language and the huge swing of contrasting feelings the reader is made to feel.
Cannot wait for Caragh Maxwell's next book!

[Tess Altena · Rating 5 out of 5]

ik ben nog even in de war. tot de laatste 5 pagina’s was ik er van overtuigd dat het 5 sterren waren, ik vond het geweldig, je volgt een meisje die na een break up vanuit londen terug verhuist naar een klein iers dorpje. ze gaat bij haar moeder, stiefvader en 3 halfzusjes wonen en uiteraard loopt dit uit de hand, ze wordt verliefd op een jongen die niet lief is en is super destructief. toch zit er heel veel moois in het verhaal, het gaat heel veel over vriendschap en zelfontwikkeling. dit was allemaal top en je wordt er zo in mee gesleurd, maar toen, de laatste 5 pagina’s. misschien snap ik het gewoon niet, maar ik denk dat een ander einde zo veel krachtiger was geweest………… kan iemand dit boek please ook lezen zodat wij het er over kunnen hebben!

[Lucy Sheehy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This felt like a really raw, fly-on-the-wall account of someone’s life and struggles. It’s well written, but I found most of the characters pretty unlikeable, which made it hard to fully sink into. There isn’t much of a clear storyline, more a cycle of self-destruction, and watching the same mistakes repeat was unsettling rather than engaging.

The ending felt inconclusive. While her refusal to fully acknowledge her alcoholism makes sense, it was still unsatisfying from a reader’s point of view and left the story without real closure.

[Meaghan Jungels · Rating 3 out of 5]

tbh the main character bothered me..also one of those books where u can’t tell WHY the protagonist is so into their love interest. Like I want to FEEL what the character is feeling you know but literally we get NOTHING about Charlie and why he is special or enticing other than the fact that saoirse is lonely and bored

I liked this book but like 75% of it was just describing the different drugs she was mixing together. She was legit drunk or high (usually both) during 80% of the book

[Belle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. Saoirse’s family dynamics and work on herself resonated so clearly with many of my own experiences. Laaaaaved it.

A few fav quotes:
“Who was I, if not the sum of everything bad thing that ever happened to me?”

“I was sick of sitting tension with people I was supposed to love”

About her dad: “He was always an earnest-looking man. Capable of terrible things, and beautiful ones too.”

[Shonee McWilliams · Rating 3 out of 5]

First half was - like blah 23 year olds are annoying - but powered through because, again, Anne Enright told me to. And then, obviously, I cried loads and connected on an extreme level because Irish family trauma is like crack to me. I really shouldn't read it, it's definitely doing damage to my mental health - but my god INJECT IT INTO MY VEINS 🫦

[Sophie Hugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wowweeee. This book was not hard to finish. Just an exceptional depiction of what it feels like navigating life in the 20s. Such an incredible debut novel exploring the complexity of modern relationships, motherhood, substance abuse and sense of self, to name just a few! A satisfying read for lovers of Sally Rooney and Coco Melors. Overall, relatable.

[Mark O'Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best thing about this book is the way that small, seemingly insignificant moments are elevated through sensitive, considered writing. The plaiting of a younger sister’s hair, or a cigarette shared with your mum. The writer imbues such ordinary moments with a sensory magic that puts us right there, feeling it all, in the mundane, middle Ireland setting.

Very impressive work for a debut novel.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There were times in the first half that I thought about not finishing....thought the book was just a series of recounted self sabotages. Glad I pushed through, Caragh does go somewhere with it. Ended up the kind of book I think my mind will return to in the future