In writing, just as in life, appearances can be deceptive. Thought you had Cecelia Ahern pegged as a writer of lightweight chicklit? Back off and think again. The platinum-selling Irish author has found her Roar! Cecelia’s books have won awards and sold more than 25 million copies. Her 2004 debut, PS, I Love You, has alone sold 2 million copies and was adapted into a 2007 film starring Hilary Swank. Her latest book is Roar, a collection of short stories: thirty surreal, poignant tales of unnamed women who have reached a point in their lives when they need to reclaim their voice or identity. The stories, written with charm, kindness and empathy, are welltimed for the #MeToo climate.
From the opening story The Woman Who Slowly Disappeared, we meet unnamed women at the end of their tether. Their whimsy is a thin veil for the fact that these are stories about women who have put up with aspects of their lives for too long. ‘The stories aren’t about sexual abuse and the gender pay gap, but I do see that they are a part of a whole conversation about listening to women’s stories,’ says Cecelia. ‘This is the right time to publish these stories. It’s time to tell more women’s stories.’