It's probably a bit of cliche (and somewhat lazy - to borrow a word from the title of this book) to call Lazy City the female reply to Close to Home by Michael Magee, but with both being debut coming-of-age novels set in Belfast by young Northern Irish writers, the comparison is inevitable. Not to mention that there's a similar somnambulant vibe to both books - young characters growing up a post-conflict Belfast, struggling to find their way, their drug-fuelled nights and hungover days moving sluggishly along. One feels like the counterpoint to the other, though I'll admit I enjoyed this book more. Clear-eyed prose, realistic relationships and dry, sharp observational humour combine to make this a compelling read.

In the wake of the death of her best friend, Erin leaves London for home in Belfast, taking up an au pair job which conveniently gets her away from her mother, with whom Erin has a fractious relationship. She spends her nights at the bar where her childhood friend Declan works, and it's there Erin strikes up a relationship of sorts with a visiting American lecturer. In parallel, she reignites an old flame with her ex Mikey.

The book is light on plot but heavy on relationships and messiness, and it's Erin's relationships (with those around her and with herself) that really make the book sing.

Rachel also has a relationship/fixation with religion that irritated me a bit but it was pretty relatable to anyone who has grown up Catholic. For anyone looking for a book that throws a bit of nuance on religion and its place in modern life, you'll likely enjoy the author's spin on it.

I can't finish without mentioning the drugs. THE DRUGS. Do all young people do this many drugs or is it just the youth of Belfast? There's a whole chapter of hedonistic drug-taking and casual chat about the best way to pulverise your cocaine to make it more palatable. Just me?

Still, the writing is stellar and I thoroughly enjoyed the book. 4/5 stars

*Many thanks to @gillhessltd, and to the author and publisher @canongatebooks for the advance copy. Lazy City is published today.

Lazy City was the first of Rachel Connolly’s books I’ve read, and I was completely absorbed by the time I’d finished the first chapter.
This has a lot of the components of the “messy girl” novel that’s been popular the past few years, but it also has so much tenderness and heart.
The prose was beautiful, particularly the weather descriptions and that of the church, such vivid imagery alongside an excellent narrative voice made a very compelling read. I will definitely be looking out for more of Connolly’s books.

Lazy City - a title that slightly makes me wonder why the author chose it. The book has a few passing references to laziness here and there, but more generally there is a recurring suck of daily inertia throughout, a rotating carousel of booze, hangovers, casual sexual encounters, parties, drugs and more booze all seen through Erin’s jaded, grieving eyes as she just, well, gets on with things. Or as things happen to her, is perhaps a better way of putting it in some respects. I enjoyed it, up to a point; it’s the kind of book that makes me feel old and perhaps - inevitably? - leaves me speculating afterwards if I’m really the target audience. Connolly can write; debut novels rarely reinvent the wheel and this one doesn’t make much effort in that respect. Belfast, a city I find personally interesting, is effectively conjured up but by the end of the book, closing as it does on New Year’s Eve, I found myself thinking that Erin’s upcoming year will most likely be pretty similar to the one that had gone before it. Which is surely true enough for most people in life, but doesn’t necessarily make for captivating fiction. Still… I made it to the end without too much bother, and it more or less held my emotional attention. I suppose it could become a smash hit or wind up somewhat forgotten about alongside a raft of other recent books that are broadly similar in tone - these days, or perhaps same as it ever was, publishers fall over one another to make sure they aren’t missing out on the next Sally Rooney etc or whoever. Feels like I'm (lazily?) damning Lazy City with faint praise - and it's really quite a well-written book - but overall it feels as though this might appeal to those who like such things, and not so much to those who don't.

3.5 stars

With thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

If there’s one thing I will (almost) always read it’s a Belfast novel. Erin has just moved home from London after her best friend died. She has a tumultuous relationship with her mum & is au pairing as a stop gap.

There is so much I enjoyed about this book but I think the relationships were such a high point. Erin’s fraught relationship with her (pretty shitty) mum, the on/off with old flame Mikey, the flickering of something new with an American professor, the mild chaos with her friend Declan, the odd dynamic with her employer Ann Marie and the fragments of a life with her best friend Kate. It all just felt very… real? Like yeah I truly believe each of these relationships are the way that they are.

The only portions I wasn’t super keen on was the religious stuff. Erin finds solace in empty churches to kinda work through her emotions & I found those portions a bit dull. As a terrible heathen I could not relate but I think they’d hit home a bit more if you had a Catholic upbringing.

A very obvious & maybe boring comparison to make is Close to Home by Michael Magee but more in a ‘if you loved that you’ll love this’ kind of way instead of a ‘this is the female version of that novel’ kind of way.

Overall I loved it, I loved Erin & was really rooting for her. She’s just a girlie who deserves a nice life at the end of it all.

This reminded me of those books that you read at school - they went on and on - and as far as you could work out nothing happened. But the teacher would go on about the phrasing and tone - as a 14 year old I wanted pace and story. I am afraid I have not matured in my literary tastes and now being considerably older than 14, I still want some action. I was intrigued by what had happened to Erin, but nothing was really explained.
I gave up as it was one of those books that drove me to sorting out my drawers and duvet covers rather than read.

“ The sky is pink and hazy purple, purple which has not quite turned to pink, as the sun rises. The air smells like the wet grass of the riverbank and damp tarmac. Damp tarmac, not wet. Properly wet tarmac smells sweeter; it rained yesterday but not last night.”

Overwritten from page one. I wish she hadn’t tried so hard.

The story started well enough and the book is very easy to read. Following the death of someone close to her Erin has returned home to Belfast from her college in London. But then, other than her boring daily routine, nothing happens so it’s a little repetitive and even, later in the book, when we find out more about her life and the event that caused her to flee home it’s still all rather glossed over.
There is no real depth to any of the characters and I felt if there had been more of a backstory about her various relationships this would have made it a much more interesting read.


Many thanks to NetGalley & Canongate Books for an ARC

This book covers beliefs, values, customs, practices, and institutions of culture that gave me a great insight. The author has provided readers with a deeper understanding of the ways in which people from different cultural backgrounds live, think, and interact with each other. I’ve gained a deeper appreciation for the richness and diversity of human culture. This is a book that can promote understanding, empathy, and a sense of interconnectedness among people from different backgrounds. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

3.5/.5

Lazy City follows Erin learning how to deal with her grief and get her life together again after the death of her friend and dropping out of university. I loved this skill full exploration of how grief affects people in very different ways and how it can have wider impacts on your relationships with your friends and family. Although I did find this to be a slow read I enjoyed this a lot and definitely recommend.

Lazy City by Rachel Connolly effectively explores how Erin is trying to get her life together after the death of her friend and dropping out of university, the impact on her of her difficult relationship with her mother, her friendships and relationships.

Really really enjoyed this, especially the relationship between unexpected grief and religion. Though it was sad it was also full of strength and hope.