[About Prestige Drama]
Derry is already abuzz with news that famous American actor, Monica Logue, has flown to the city and will be starring in a new series set during the Troubles. And then she goes missing . . .
All eyes are on Diarmuid, the flaky scriptwriter who was the last to see Monica alive. From budding young actors hoping for a role to grieving parent whose story forms the backbone of the narrative; newspaper editors covering the mystery to taxi drivers hearing all the news from their clients, Prestige Drama follows the city’s cast as they all try to locate themselves in Monica’s disappearance.
Prestige Drama is a comedy about dramatising tragedy, and the responsibilities of a teller to a tale. It brings to life the voices of a city, the people, families and communities who find themselves obsessed with, and terrified of, interrogating their past.
[ My Review ]
Prestige Drama by Séamas O’ Reilly publishes May 7th with Fleet and is described as ‘the ‘hilarious and profound’ debut novel from the bestselling author of Did Ye Hear Mammy Died? ‘
Set in Derry post 1998 (The Good Friday Agreement), Prestige Drama is a novel full of vitality, bursting at the seams with the stories that make up humanity. It is a character-led story with the underlying heartbeat of a community defiant in their survival. When Hollywood comes knocking on the city’s doors to make a new series, everyone has an opinion, with the general expectation that the city and people will benefit. There is a palpable excitement as locations are scouted and casting sessions are in full swing. The writer, local author Diarmuid O’Sullivan, is living it up, being treated like royalty. When word gets out that American actor Monica Logue is in town, the city is animated with talk of sightings and conversations had.
The series, Dead City, inspired by true events, will be a fictional retelling of a tragedy that struck the heart of a community and many families. There is a nervousness about how the individual characters will be played but overall the series development is welcomed in a city that has been through some extraordinarily challenging and traumatic years.
But everything changes when Monica Logue disappears. Rumours circulate and there are sightings of her all over the county and beyond, yet none are her. Diarmuid Walsh was the last person to see her alive so the gossip is laden with insinuation and possible scenarios. Did Diarmuid murder Monica Logue or has she absconded in search of her Irish ancestors?
As the speculation over Monica Logue’s disappearance continues, a story unfolds of a people very much affected by their experiences of the Troubles. Everyone has an opinion, with individual reflections on what came before and what might be coming down the road. Told through different perspectives Prestige Drama is a snapshot of a moment in time in a city going through dramatic change.
What unfolds is a wonderfully witty, yet tragic, story told with a striking use of language and descriptions that bring a people and a place alive. Kevin Barry immediately springs to mind, with O’Reilly’s style having that similar quirkiness and appeal that lifts the soul but also has an underlying rumble of something undefined. Prestige Drama leaves a lingering presence in its wake. It is a warm and compassionate story, a perceptive tale, a striking debut.
[ Thank you to Hachette Ireland for a copy of Prestige Drama in exchange for my honest review ]
[ Bio ]
SÉAMAS O’REILLY is a writer and author who has worked as a columnist for the Observer, the Irish Times and the Irish Examiner. He is Features Editor of London satirical magazine, The Fence and his writing has appeared in The Guardian, the New Statesman and the New York Times. His memoir Did Ye Hear Mammy Died topped the Irish Times Bestseller List for seven weeks, and won Best Biography at the 2021 Irish Book Awards. Séamas currently lives in Walthamstow, London with his family.
