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A propulsive, emotionally layered suspense novel about two women linked by a romance scam—and by their shared hunger to be seen.
In Dublin, Carmel has built what appears to be a fulfilling life: a successful career, a comfortable home, three grown sons. Yet a year after her husband’s death, she finds herself alone in a way she never expected. The shape of her days has changed, and the future she once imagined has quietly slipped away. Then, on a dating site, she meets a widower living in London. What begins as a distraction soon becomes the brightest part of her day—a source of comfort, excitement, and possibility. For the first time in years, Carmel allows herself to imagine love again.
Hundreds of miles away in London, Lisa lives a precarious life shaped by past family trauma. She divides her days between caring for her mentally unstable sister and helping those failed by England’s broken class system. Smart, sharp, and resourceful, she understands the lengths people will go to for a second chance at hope—and will do whatever she can to make ends meet.
As the lives of the two women begin to converge, Annie Macmanus unfolds a gripping story of love and deception. Moving between Dublin and London, privilege and instability, The Fox is a novel about grief, self-invention, and the distance between people in an age of constant connection.
Praise for Macmanus's The Mess We're In
"Glorious… So brilliant on being young, skint, ambitious and hopeful in London. My heart ached with identification, I loved it."—Marian Keyes
"A heady mix of thrills and heartbreak… I enjoyed it so so much."—Graham Norton
"Macmanus writes with remarkable verve and wisdom… She has created easily my favourite character of recent years."—Louise Kennedy
"A writer whose understanding and capturing of human nature comes as easily to her as breathing."—Candice Carty-Williams
"What Macmanus has managed to do with London is terrific, and deeply moving."—Roddy Doyle
"Bracingly lyrical."—The Observer
"A dizzyingly good read."—i Paper
"The bygone heyday of indie rock pulses with authenticity."—Irish Independent
"Such a gorgeous book... I absolutely ate up every word."—Aisling Bea
"I'm so sad it's over. I could have read another sixty chapters... A fantastic read."—Joanne McNally
Praise for Mother Mother
"A tender, surprising, occasionally bleak, moving and delicate book."—The Irish Times
"A study of grief, addiction and what it means to be a mother."—Stylist
"Melancholy, beautifully unadorned prose."—Mail on Sunday
"Unflinching and unsparing but also beautifully written."—Daily Mail
"An incredible debut."—Daily Mirror
"A page-turning exploration of grief, addiction, young motherhood and unbreakable family ties."—British Vogue
"A brilliant book that explores the brutal legacy of addiction and the consequences of a deep grief left to stagnate."—BBC Radio 2