Trespasses, published in late 2022, is Louise Kennedy's debut novel. Trespasses are set during the Irish Civil War, called "the Troubles." Specifically, Kennedy's novel follows Cushla, who lives with her mom in a small town in Belfast, Ireland. Cushla is a hard-working woman who works two jobs—a teacher and a barmaid. One day, Cushla meets Michael Agnew, who plays an important role in the Civil War and in defending Irish Republican Army (IRA) members from prosecution. Cushla's family cautions her to avoid Agnew and his complicated life, but Cushla doesn't listen, which causes her life to change irrevocably.
Kennedy, who worked as a chef and wrote for The Guardian and BBC Radio 4 for many years before the publication of Trespasses, achieved unlikely success at the tender age of 55. Kennedy was initially reluctant to write. "It wasn't like I was dying to write," she said. "[Writing] was something that magical people did, and I wasn't magical, so why would I be doing something like that?" she questioned. After going to a writing group with a friend, Kennedy's idea for Trespasses emerged. In her first novel, Kennedy drew heavily on her childhood experiences in Ireland during the Irish Civil War in the 1970s.
Trespasses was a bestseller on the New York Times bestsellers list when it was published. In her review of Kennedy's novel for The New York Times, J. Courtney Sullivan said that Trespasses has "propulsive energy, the kind that compels you to keep reading straight through to the end. A rising sense of tension throughout comes to a shocking head." Kevin Power felt similarly. In his review for The Guardian, he called the novel "masterly" and praised it for its "conviction."
