The Dazzling Truth - by Helen Cullen (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

"A love letter to family and to the arts. Beautiful."
--Maggie Smith, author of Good Bones

In the courtyards of Trinity College, Dublin, in 1978, aspiring actress Maeve meets pottery student Murtagh Moone. As their relationship progresses, marriage and motherhood come in quick succession, but for Maeve, with the joy of children also comes the struggle to hold on to the truest parts of herself.

Decades later, on a small Irish island, the Moone family are poised for celebration but instead are struck by tragedy. Each family member must find solace in their own separate way, until one dazzling truth brings them back together. But as the Moone family confront the past, they also journey toward a future that none of them could have predicted. Except perhaps Maeve herself.

"A perfect combination of deeply felt tragedy with great hopefulness."
--Anne Youngson, author of Meet Me at the Museum

Review Quotes

"Love is here in spades... clear a weekend for this gorgeous read."
--Library Journal (STARRED REVIEW)

"Cullen's lyrical prose drives the immersive and heart-wrenching narrative. This complex study of depression and its impact on family dynamics will lure readers."
--Publishers Weekly

"With a group of well-crafted, intriguing characters, [Cullen] realistically portrays a tight-knit group of people trying to grow up and grow old under the shadow of a tragedy they can never understand. Readers will enjoy experiencing a slice of life in this small Irish community, and embrace the very interesting characters who live there."
--Booklist

"Such a true gift of a novel, with its sumptuous forward momentum, and rare precision, and inspired imagery. The Dazzling Truth generates a very bright light, one that is human, graceful, and healing. It's an absolute pleasure to read."
--Sebastian Barry

"An Irish novel moves from a family's joy to tragedy and back in this poignant yet hopeful novel spanning the late 1970s to 2015." --Shelf Awareness

"Absolute poetry and a love letter to family and to the arts. The empathy in this book is beautiful."
--Maggie Smith, award-winning author of Good Bones and Keep Moving

"A perfect combination of deeply felt tragedy with great hopefulness."
--Anne Youngson, author of Meet Me at the Museum

"An extremely moving read. Helen Cullen handles the complexities of love, grief, family life and mental illness with sensitivity and depth. A truly gorgeous novel."
--Ali Land, bestselling author of Good Me, Bad Me

"I devoured this, falling in love with the setting and with every character--and when I reached the end, I wept because it is just glorious. The Dazzling Truth is a sweeping family saga and at the same time, a close-up on the everyday beautiful details that make up love."
--Emma Flint, author of Little Deaths

"A beautiful bittersweet story of love, loss and families all set in the most irresistible of locations. Tears were shed!"
--Graham Norton, BBC

"​​​​​​​Cullen's beautifully observed novel The Dazzling Truth charts a family across 37 years, living through a tragedy on a remote island; portraying mental health and the fall-out around it with enormous humanity and integrity. Tonally reminiscent of recent Colm Tóibín."
--Caoilinn Hughes, author of Orchid and The Wasp and The Wild Laughter

"A beautiful novel. Helen Cullen writes with such deft care and attention about the things that hold us together when everything falls apart."
--Rónán Hession, author of Leonard and Hungry Paul

"Helen Cullen is so wonderful on the Irish family and the utter complexity of motherhood, family entanglement and love. I was full on weeping at the end."
--Elaine Feeney, author of As You Were

"In The Dazzling Truth, Cullen has woven a powerful and poignant narrative told over a lifetime; exploring unconditional love, heartbreak and the beautiful flaws of human nature set within a family unit. She is an astute and empathic writer and an incredible voice in Irish literature. You'll fall in love with the Moone family and they will linger in your heart long after you read the final pages."
--Cat Hogan, author of They All Fall Down and There Was A Crooked Man

"The Dazzling Truth is such a tender read. Astute and compassionate, it made me cry. It's full of love. And it's quietly magnificent."
--Tor Udall, author of A Thousand Paper Birds

"A beautifully observed saga of abandoned dreams, loss and self-discovery."
--Alan McMonagle, author of Ithaca

"A beautiful story. I was gripped and held in a state of love for all the characters."
--Sarah Winman, author of When God was a Rabbit and Tin Man

"A tender and unflinching exploration of mental illness and how it can eat into the heart of a family. Full of empathy and genuinely moving, a novel that will stay with me for a long time."
--Christine Dwyer Hickey, author of The Narrow Land