Mary Morrissy's new novel, The Rising of Bella Casey

I see Brandon Books have put up on their webpage notification of Mary Morrissy's new novel, The Rising of Bella Casey. Apparently, Sean O'Casey, the great Irish playwright, killed off his sister Bella in his autobiography a good ten years before she actually died -- hmm. What was that about? Mary Morrissy wrote her new novel while she was fuelled by the same question. I've been reading drafts of this novel for some time, and I remember saying to myself at the very first, "This is going to be a good one!" I was right. Mary's novel is beautifully written and, almost accidentally, perfectly timed for the string of historical anniversaries Ireland is commemorating in this decade, including the 1913 lock-out, the 1916 Rising and the outcome in the 1920s. Brandon did well to pick this up. I'm almost sorry for those that didn't (not really!). The Rising of Bella Casey will be released mid-September.