Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way is about grief and generational trauma which is centred around Claire, a young Irish woman living in London with her partner Tom, whose mother dies suddenly. Whilst struggling to come to terms with her mother’s death, she returns home to Ireland to nurse her father through illness and his subsequent death deciding to live in the home house whilst separated from her partner. Tom follows her to Ireland and Claire must face up to the trauma that happened in her home and the old house before she can move forward with her life. This is a haunting, devastating story (TW domestic abuse and sexual assault) that will stay with me for some time.

A story of intergenerational trauma set in the west coast of Ireland through 3 mingling narratives from different times of the families history.

It's a slow burn kind of book that ends on a hopefully tone for the future of the main character Claire.

Well worth the read.

Absolutely loved this multigenerational Irish novel. It crept up on me and then hit me in waves, and I think the structure of intermingling stories from the 1920s, 80s and present day made us constantly reflect and think. I want to call this a beautiful novel, but much of the subject matter (*TW* - domestic violence) was not what you’d call ‘beautiful’, but nevertheless it had a deep lyrical charm which really drew me in and created vividly powerful imagery. Elaine Feeney closely examines grief, family, love, relationships and their meaning and effect upon future generations. I’m now off to search Feeney’s back catalogue as I’d love to read more.

Big thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this wonderful read.

'Let me Go Mad in My Own Way' is a dual timeline story mostly: what was and what is, but occasionally we are taken right back to 1920 and the Irish War of Independence and the violence of the Black and Tans. Through this journey we discover the intergenerational trauma that affected not only Claire's family, and her upbringing, but that of the community. Your heart will ache over this sad history; the pain of staying and the pain of leaving. However, as Claire continues to heal from her trauma, there is redemption and hope

'...had grief made me forget where I was? Who I was? Had I any idea now who I was? Was this grief?'

Claire O'Connor answers the phone one day, to the news that her ex-boyfriend is going to move to Ireland, to her home town. A town that he never visited when they were together, so why now? What does it mean? Does it mean anything at all? The unexpected news sends Claire down a path of re-examination, not only of the demise of their relationship but the death of her mother and her subsequent return home - the catalyst of relationship breakdown.

'Let me Go Mad in My Own Way' is a dual timeline story mostly: what was and what is, but occasionally we are taken right back to 1920 and the Irish War of Independence and the violence of the Black and Tans. Through this journey we discover the intergenerational trauma that affected not only Claire's family, and her upbringing, but that of the community. Your heart will ache over this sad history; the pain of staying and the pain of leaving. However, as Claire continues to heal from her trauma, there is redemption and hope.

This story crosses many genres and will leave you pondering after you've finished.

'Revolution is always personal...as is love, so if you expect them to change, maybe you need to engage'.

A very slow paced read that did take me a while to get into, but I was very invested by the end. Lots of important subjects explored with depth and pain and tenderness.

Hard to get into, but once it gets started it's hard to forget. Well written and steeped in Irish history.

Elaine Feeney’s Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way is a raw, lyrical, and deeply affecting portrait of womanhood, grief, and the weight of inherited history. It captures the fractured experience of returning home—not just to a place, but to the parts of yourself you thought you’d left behind.

Claire O’Connor has put her life on pause, leaving behind the hum of London for the wind-bitten West of Ireland to care for her dying father. When her ex, Tom Morton, reappears nearby, Claire is forced to face not only old wounds but also the ghosts that linger in the land and in her blood. Feeney deftly weaves the personal with the political, the domestic with the ancestral, exploring the legacy of violence and the burdens passed down through generations of Irish women.

The prose is unflinching and poetic, capturing the everyday brutality and beauty of rural Irish life. Claire’s narrative is filled with quiet rage and subtle hope. Feeney gives voice to the tension of being both rooted and restless, of loving a homeland that has hurt you.

This is not just a book about love or loss—it is about the slow reckoning that comes when you sit still long enough to hear your own past echoing through the walls. With its haunting atmosphere and searing emotional truth, Let Me Go Mad in My Own Way is a powerful reminder that healing is not always gentle, and that sometimes, the bravest thing you can do is simply stay.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

Took me a while to get into this book but I enjoyed it more as I read on and the more of the story that I could piece together. Very interesting subject with thought provoking topics such as the generational impact of trauma, colonialism and Irish history.

Thoughtful interesting read I think this author will develop and is one to watch I will keep an eye out for more from her

This was a slow burn for me.
The more we learnt of Claire, her family, their history, the more I enjoyed it.
Interesting.