Karl Geary's debut novel released with Harvill Secker

Named as one of the "New Voices in Fiction" by The Guardian, Karl Geary's debut novel tells the story of 16-year-old, working-class Sonny who yearns to escape from 1980s Dublin where he is violently bullied.

One day, while helping his father build a wall in well-to-do Montpelier Parade, he meets the troubled, enigmatic Vera, through whom he discovers the power of books, leading him to fantasise about leaving his working class "station".

“Class is a huge part of the book,” Geary said in an interview with The Guardian. “Sonny builds walls with his dad and all he wants to do is leap over them. Vera introduces him to other possibilities. It’s really about two people who free each other in some way.”

Born in Dublin, Geary moved to New York when he was 16 where he worked in film and TV, being cast in roles as diverse as Sex in the City and Hamlet.

He also owned a bar in downtown Manhattan called Scratcher and co-owned another club, Cafe Sin-é, in the East Village, where he waited at tables alongside Jeff Buckley. Regulars included Marianne Faithfull and Sinead O’Connor. Iggy Pop, PJ Harvey, Johnny Depp and U2 were also known to pop by.

Montpellier Parade is available now.