I’m going to be blunt with you right from the start. If you look up reviews of Stations by Louise Kennedy per today (9 November 2026), you’ll find a wall of glowing praise. Critics are calling it heartbreaking, beautifully written and full of hope, and Kirkus even gave it a starred review.

So today, I’m the odd one out. I wanted to love this book, and a few parts of it really did win me over. By the time I reached the end, though, I had to admit it just wasn’t for me.

What’s It About?

Stations is Louise Kennedy’s second novel, following her Women’s Prize-shortlisted debut, Trespasses. The story opens in a small Irish town in 1982, where fifteen-year-old Róisín meets Red, the local bad boy.

Neither of them has an easy life at home. Róisín is growing up in the shadow of a father who left the family, while Red spends as much time as he can at her house to escape the trouble waiting in his own. From there, the book follows the pair across about twenty-five years, from their hometown to London in the 1980s and beyond. Along the way, Kennedy explores first love, friendship, addiction and regret.

Let’s start with the good stuff, because there really was some.

I loved the way the book begins. Kennedy reveals where Róisín and Red come from little by little, and you slowly see how much both of them are carrying.

Róisín was a big part of that. She’s a complicated, layered character, and her story stirred up a lot of feelings in me.

The story itself is a sad one, too. It’s a heartbreaking look at friendship, love, and trauma.

Sadly, once the first part ended, my connection to the book started to fade.

My biggest struggle was the writing style. I found it hard to get through, and reading it often felt like work. I kept waiting to settle into its rhythm, and that moment never came. If you like to unwind with a book at the end of a long day, this probably won’t be the one to do it.

The plot was my other problem. After such a strong opening, the story turned bland for me. Years passed and things happened, yet very little of it left a mark.

Here’s the frustrating part. I really wanted to fall for this book, so I kept reading in the hope that something would click. Maybe in the middle, I thought. Maybe in the final chapters. Maybe even on the very last page.

I made it to that last page. Unfortunately, the closer I got to the end, the less I enjoyed it.

Stations has a lot of heart, an authentic setting, and a main character I truly cared about at the start. The difficult writing style and the flat plot, though, pulled me further away with every chapter, and I closed the book feeling drained.

Still, I know I’m in the minority on this one. If you love slow, emotional, character-driven Irish fiction, or if Trespasses was a favorite of yours, I’d still say give it a try. There’s a good chance you’ll join the many readers who adore it. Just go in knowing it’s a heavy, demanding read.

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Author: Louise Kennedy
Publication date: 24 September 2026
Number of pages: 288 pages

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