Culture
28 Nov 19

Irish Writer Mary Costello Gets Nomination for Bad Sex Award

She is nominated alongside Didier Decoin, Elizabeth Gilbert and Dominic Smith. The passage which attracted the judges (usually unwelcome!) comes from her widely acclaimed novel The River Capture.

Every year since 1993, Literary Review 'honour' the best worst sex scene in fiction. This year's shortlist for the not-so-prestigious award includes Irish writer Mary Costello who is nominated for a part in her novel The River Capture.

The sex scene features the following line:

"She begged him to go deeper and, no longer afraid of injuring her, he went deep in mind and body, among crowded organ cavities, past the contours of her lungs and liver, and, shimmying past her heart, he felt her perfection."

Other nominees for the Bad Sex Award are Didier Decoin (The Office of Gardens), Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert (City of Girls), John Harvey (Pax) and Dominic Smith (The Electric Hotel).

Ironically, The River Capture is also up for the Eason Novel of the Year award at the An Post Irish Book Awards.

Mary Costello is in good company though. Last year, Irish author Julian Gough received a nomination for his novel Connect. Morrissey even took home the award for his debut List Of The Lost in 2015.