A History of Running Away

Review A keen eye for both poignancy and humanity―Irish IndependentA thoroughly modern, engaging and sophisticated novel about women who reach for better lives and are forced to run away to achieve them―Liz NugentDepicts a brutal world with astonishing tenderness and builds a clever, intriguing story, creating memorable characters along the way―Emma HendersonElegant . . . Compelling reading―Daily MailMcGrath captures Dublin of the 1980s perfectly . . . Ambitious, both structurally and narratively, and elegantly written―John Boyne, Irish TimesMcGrath writes well and delivers some fine flourishes―Irish Sunday TimesSparkling prose ―GuardianThe writing is fluid and accessible, the dialogue and setting authentic, proving Paula McGrath both a consummate storyteller and an excellent observer of human interactions―Sunday IndependentThis beautifully written novel is urgently contemporary in its concerns but is also a quietly compelling exploration of the notions of home and belonging. Paula McGrath is a wonderful storyteller with a vivid sense of place and person―Joseph O'Connor Product Description Book of the Year in the Irish Times'A wonderful storyteller'Joseph O'ConnorOn the quays of Dublin, Jasmine is running, training for a fight she can't compete in. It's 1982 and boxing is illegal for girls.For Jasmine boxing is everything: after running away from home, and narrowly escaping a risky situation in London, it is all she has to claim as her own. But with a legal fight impossible, and a ghost from her past on her trail, where can it end? A History of Running Away is a brilliantly written novel about growing up, starting over and learning to fight for yourself. About the Author Paula McGrath lives in Dublin. Her first novel, Generation, was published in 2015, and described as 'remarkable' by the Sunday Times. She has a background in English Literature and is currently a doctoral student at the University of Limerick. In another life she was a yoga teacher.