Tell Me What I Am by Una Mannion
Two women, wrenched apart by a terrible crime, must find a way back to each other
When Deena Garvey disappears in 2004, she leaves behind a daughter and a sister.
Deena’s daughter grows up in the country. She learns how to hunt, when to seed the garden, how to avoid making her father angry. Never to ask about her absent mother.
Deena’s sister stays stuck in the city, getting desperate. She knows the man responsible for her sister’s disappearance, but she can’t prove it. Not yet.
Over fourteen years, four hundred miles apart, these two women slowly begin to unearth the secrets and lies at the heart of their family, and the history of power and control that has shaped them both in such different ways.
But can they reach each other in time? And will the truth finally answer the question of their lives:
What really happened to Deena Garvey?
Two women, wrenched apart by a terrible crime, must find a way back to each other
When Deena Garvey disappears in 2004, she leaves behind a daughter and a sister.
Deena’s daughter grows up in the country. She learns how to hunt, when to seed the garden, how to avoid making her father angry. Never to ask about her absent mother.
Deena’s sister stays stuck in the city, getting desperate. She knows the man responsible for her sister’s disappearance, but she can’t prove it. Not yet.
Over fourteen years, four hundred miles apart, these two women slowly begin to unearth the secrets and lies at the heart of their family, and the history of power and control that has shaped them both in such different ways.
But can they reach each other in time? And will the truth finally answer the question of their lives:
What really happened to Deena Garvey?
Two women, wrenched apart by a terrible crime, must find a way back to each other
When Deena Garvey disappears in 2004, she leaves behind a daughter and a sister.
Deena’s daughter grows up in the country. She learns how to hunt, when to seed the garden, how to avoid making her father angry. Never to ask about her absent mother.
Deena’s sister stays stuck in the city, getting desperate. She knows the man responsible for her sister’s disappearance, but she can’t prove it. Not yet.
Over fourteen years, four hundred miles apart, these two women slowly begin to unearth the secrets and lies at the heart of their family, and the history of power and control that has shaped them both in such different ways.
But can they reach each other in time? And will the truth finally answer the question of their lives:
What really happened to Deena Garvey?
About the Author
Una Mannion was born in Philadelphia and lives in County Sligo Ireland. She has won numerous prizes for her poetry and short stories. Her work has been published in the Irish Times, Winter Papers and anthologised in story collections. Her debut novel was shortlisted for the An Post Irish Book Awards, the Dalkey Literary Awards, and won the 2022 Kate O'Brien Award.
Praise for Tell Me What I Am:
‘Haunting and deeply moving.’ OBSERVER
‘Propulsive and richly atmospheric.’ IRISH INDEPENDENT
‘An engrossing, deftly-told story with an aching secret at its heart, this is a profoundly moving novel of family and women standing strong together.’ LISA BALLANTYNE
‘Sharp, poignant, thrilling and moving.’ CHRIS WHITAKER
‘Compelling . . . Mannion writes with a lyrical economy that stands out, and always shows a deep empathy for her well-drawn characters.’ IRISH EXAMINER
‘A wrenching portrait of the umbilical bond between mother and child and, more powerfully still, an icily persuasive account of the subtle dark arts of male coercion and abuse.’ DAILY MAIL
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Date Published: June 2023
Paperback, 336 pgs.
ISBN: 9780571358779
