Wild Geese

Genre

Literary fiction

UK publication

Footnote Press, 2023

US publication

Feminist Press, 2023

Film/TV

N/A

Portuguese (Africa)

Editora Trinta Zero Nove

Blurb

New home, new name and newly thirty: Phoebe Forde has stepped into emigrant life in Copenhagen with her anxious dog, Dolly. Almost three years into her gender transition, she has learned to move through the world carefully, savouring small moments of joy.

A woman without a past can be anyone she wants – that is, until an unexpected visit from Grace, her first love, brings memories of Dublin and a life she thought she’d left behind.

Over the course of a single weekend, as their old romance kindles something sweet and radically unfamiliar, Grace helps Phoebe to navigate the jagged edges of migration, nostalgia and hope.

WINNER OF THE LAMDA LITERARY PRIZE FOR TRANSGENDER FICTION 2024

WINNER OF THE SOCIETY OF AUTHORS GORDON BOWKER VOLCANO PRIZE 2024

CHOSEN AS POWELLS BOOK OF THE MONTH SEPTEMBER 2023 (US)

CHOSEN AS ONE OF BOOK 28’S FOUR TITLES FOR BOOK PRIDE 2023

RUNNER UP FOR BOOK OF THE YEAR AT ROOM OF ONE’S OWN BOOKSHOP AND ONLINE COMMUNITY 2023

Press and Reviews

“This is one of the most impressive debut novels I've read in years. Emmanuel's prose is shrewd, funny, coy; her genius is glittered throughout this novel.”

– A Room of One’s Own

“The must-read trans book of the summer”

– Pink News

“Emigration and its impact on relationships, particularly youthful romance, is a staple of the Irish novel tradition, yet Wild Geese breaks this classic form, remaking it…”

– The Irish Times

“Bittersweet and meandering in the best way, this is fiction worth lingering over.”

– Kirkus Reviews

“A lyrical and bittersweet meditation on memory and trans identity set over the course of one weekend… This is one to savour.”

– Publisher’s Weekly