“If I had two rooms to live in, I would spend my days believing I should be in the other one.”

In The Wardrobe Department, by Elaine Garvey (UK Release 13th Feb 2025) we are delivered to 2002, and the story of Mairéad, a young Irish woman who works in a small London Theatre. Creative and skilled, she’s finding her first job unglamourous: the costumes are in a constant state of disrepair, torn, stained, and stinking. In the cramped confines of the theatre it’s difficult to avoid the patronising and predatory cast and crew, and the show’s resident tyrant, Oliver, the producer of the current play. Charismatic, overbearing, and vindictive, he’s best avoided by the technical staff.

Mairéad feels out of place, at a sharp remove from her immediate colleagues. She imagines they sneer at her, seeing her as an ignorant yokel at loose in the big city. Aggrieved at this, she’s oblivious of her own shallow preconceptions about their lives.

Contact with her family in Ireland is minimal. It’s clear she’s come to London to escape something, to renew herself, feeling that she was out of place there too, but her loneliness has brought her to place of statis.

Everything she tried to leave behind still has a hold on her, distant voices berating and dismissive, fuelling her fears and self-doubt. If it’s better to be less visible – unnoticed and unattractive, a survival technique in a world of powerful, handsy men – what’s to stop you disappearing altogether?

A trip back to Ireland might provide a chance for Mairéad to look her history in the eye and understand what brought her here.

Mairéad is complex and convincing, and her story is told with persuasive acuity. Elaine Garvey has gifted each of her characters with assured nuance. Their words and actions allow us to build out their dimensions. She’s equally good at conjouring a sense of place and atmosphere with a light, effective, touch. I found myself delightedly wrongfooted at times by The Wardrobe Department, the plot veering away from the expected to tell a story full of truthful tenderness and hope.

This is a tender short novel where we follow young Mairéad.
She has a challenging home life, and when she visits home, her mother and she reconnect on a new level, with her mother’s revelation.
Mairéad returns to London, and she views life in a different light.

I loved Mairéad.
Overall, this was more of a 3.5 star read for me.
Despite loving the main character, the story did not fully appeal to me.

I enjoyed this one, but it isn't one that will stand out.
The main character never really formed themselves in my mind despite picturing the scenarios in the book.
Came more to life when the family got involved.

What a gorgeous read.

Mairéad works in a theatre's costume department washing and mending clothes, she isn't filled with confidence and making friends is hard for.

She returns to Ireland for her grandmother's funeral. We discover her homelife is not that great and soon realise why Mairead finds life difficult.

While at home her mother reveals a scret and Maireads life changes.

This wonderful read is just divine. I loved Mairead, I found a lot of myself in her so really connected.

It is a heartfelt tale and although at times quite sad and emotive I think the end Mairead came out ok

Mairéad works in a theatre's costume department in London. We don't know why she left Ireland, although we know she's lonely and binge eating. During the day she washes and mends clothes and runs to the cobblers. The other girls seem very worldly. Her overtures at friendship are rejected. She has to deal with creepy men at work and a bullying producer. In the second part of the book, the action moves to Ireland as Mairéad has to dash home for her grandmother's funeral. A complicated family and home life is revealed: an ex boyfriend who's now engaged; a father who bullies her and the wife who despises him. As she prepares to return to London, Mairéad's mother makes a confession.
Ultimately redemptive and uplifting, the book vibrates with spirit and determination among the strong female characters. A very distinctive new voice in Irish fiction.

As someone who has a fashion background in addition to my library work Inreally enjoyed this look into the fashion industry at such an instrumenting history. Very enjoyable! A great read if you have an interest in design