This will be followed by talks and readings in Palavra de Viajante bookshop, on 17 September at 6pm, and in Bookshop Bivar the day after, also at 6pm.
The book is set in the city of Lisbon, in the years 2007 and 2008.
The central character, Cian O’Dwyer, decides to “flee” Dublin after a failed relationship. He ends up in Lisbon, where he gets a job as an English teacher in a language school there.
In the Portuguese capital, Cian becomes part of the community of English teachers that live in the city. They are all young and less interested in work than in taking advantage of the varied delights that Lisbon has to offer.
A central conflict in the novel is the decision Cian has to make between staying securely within this slightly closed community, and the possibility of leaving his comfort zone and getting to know the locals.
A Year in Lisbon is a coming-of-age story, an account of the slow transformation of the central character, and of the role of the city in this change.
In fact, the city of Lisbon itself plays an important role in the novel as a whole. For Cian – and for the author, who lived in Lisbon in the 1990s – the city is a revelation; it is strange, exotic, fascinating, stressful and enchanting.
Despite himself, Cian begins to feel at home in this city that is so different to everything he has experienced before.
The story also takes a behind-the-scenes look at the world of English-language teaching, and the reality of life in a language school in a European city.
Cian works in The London School, where things are not exactly as they first appear.
The book offers a humorous, ironic look at this world, with its finely-drawn cast of engaging, colourful characters.
A story of loss, escape and second chances, A Year in Lisbon is Lorcan McNamee’s first novel.
For more info on the book’s website, including a blog on the process of self-publishing, http://ayearinlisbon.com/).