Lazy City

‘Somehow both tightly controlled and highly spontaneous, Rachel Connolly's Lazy City is refreshingly open to the world. Frank, attentive, free of artifice or emotional contrivances, Connolly brings something new to any subject she shines her singular intelligence on’
NICOLE FLATTERY        

‘In the wry and compassionate Lazy City, Rachel Connolly deftly captures both the intoxicating chaos and listlessness of young adulthood, when life seems both full of possibility and impossibly elusive’
COLIN BARRETT        

‘This restless, big-hearted, accomplished novel examines the delicate, elaborate fabric of communication after grief. In a voice that is skirting, comic and attentive, Lazy City embodies the traits I admire in Rachel Connolly's writing: its charisma, nervous energy and verve’
LUCIE ELVEN        

‘Absolutely LOVED IT. A coming of age novel set in Belfast and delivered in the most beautifully clear and engaging prose’
FRANKIE BOYLE        

‘Startling, propulsive and bracingly funny, Lazy City is a powerful debut by a gifted writer. Every word of it feels real and true in a way that only the most skilfully imagined fiction can. It feels like a book that needed to exist. I loved it’
MARK O'CONNELL        

‘Rachel Connolly is a bright new star in fiction. Connolly’s beautifully drawn portrait of modem Belfast is fresh and quietly subversive and her prose is incisive and sharp. A must read’
ELIZA CLARK        

‘This is a compelling and very moving novel about the aftermath of grief. Connolly captures the bewilderment, raw pain, and emotional paralysis of a young woman upended by loss. There is a quiet intensity – and an addictive quality – in the writing that slowly, cumulatively affects the reader. This is a marvellous evocation of the painful distance that exists between people and the eternal longing left in the wake of a lost loved one‘
MARY COSTELLO        

‘Few writers capture the human condition and what drives social behaviour with the elegance, clarity and restraint that Rachel Connolly does. Funny, intelligent and dynamic, Lazy City paints a beautiful modern portrait of Belfast and the complex, self-imploding characters who navigate it. It shows how individuals attempt to find meaning and direction in the world, small cities and each other’s lives’
JASON OKUNDAYE        

‘Rachel Connolly is a thoughtful and funny writer who is brilliant on all of the slippery states: desire, grief, intoxication. I love how Lazy City picks apart what makes us, and what we carry with us, whether we like it or not. There's a spontaneity to Lazy City, an in-the-momentness that's utterly compelling’
REBECCA WATSON        

‘Crisp, clear-eyed and witty writing that looks bravely at complicated emotions and renders them fully real. Connolly’s characters and their flawed, human attempts at redemption will stay with me for a long time’
MONICA HEISEY        

‘Truly extraordinary. With vivid detail and a deceptively effortless narrative voice, Lazy City masterfully weaves a deeply personal and universally relevant tale. Rachel Connolly's writing is layered and beautiful, offering new perspectives on the everyday moments that shape our lives. A must-read’
BASSEY IKPI        

‘A much-anticipated novel from a sharp cultural critic with an instantly recognisable voice’
i-D Magazine