Stations
by Louise Kennedy· 2026
Louise Kennedy tells the story of two Irish friends whose lives pan out very differently, and what happens when they reunite years later in London.
In 1982, Róisín and Red meet as teenagers in their hometown in Ireland. Red’s reputation for trouble might precede him, but Róisín finds in him an intelligent and funny – if unlikely – friend. When a brush with the law pushes Red into a corner, he finds himself presented with an opportunity to escape their town and his family for good, and start a new life in England.
Two years later, their lives have unfolded in wildly different directions. Róisín enrols in college, still living at home with her mother, while Red has disappeared into a vacant flat in London, squatting with four other people and a maladjusted greyhound. When Róisín unexpectedly arrives in London to spend Christmas with her estranged father, she finds herself swept up once more into Red’s storm – with consequences that will echo through both of their lives in the years to come.
Stations is a story of love, friendship, and the choices that map out the course of our lives: those we make ourselves, and those that are made for us.
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Louise Kennedy tells the story of two Irish friends whose lives pan out very differently, and what happens when they reunite years later in London. In 1982, Róisín and Red meet as teenagers in their hometown in Ireland. Red’s reputation for trouble might precede him, but Róisín finds in him an intelligent and funny – if unlikely – friend. When a brush with the law pushes Red into a corner, he finds himself presented with an opportunity to escape their town and his family for good, and start a new life in England. Two years later, their lives have unfolded in wildly different directions. Róisín enrols in college, still living at home with her mother, while Red has disappeared into a vacant flat in London, squatting with four other people and a maladjusted greyhound. When Róisín unexpectedly arrives in London to spend Christmas with her estranged father, she finds herself swept up once more into Red’s storm – with consequences that will echo through both of their lives in the years to come. Stations is a story of love, friendship, and the choices that map out the course of our lives: those we make ourselves, and those that are made for us.