The stunning new novel about silenced female voices, family secrets and dangerous truths from the author of The Accident Season.
When Deena’s wild older sister Mandy goes missing, presumed dead, Deena refuses to believe it’s true. Especially when letters start arriving–letters from Mandy–which proclaim that their family’s blighted history is not just bad luck or bad decisions but a curse, handed down to women from generation to generation. Mandy’s gone to find the root of the curse before it’s too late for Deena. But is the curse even real? And is Mandy still alive? Deena’s desperate, cross-country search for her beloved sister–guided only by the notes that mysteriously appear at each destination, leading her to former Magdalene laundry sites and more–is a love letter to women and a heartbreaking cathartic journey.
“[A]n astonishingly potent offering to women who break the mold.”—Booklist, starred review
“With a memorable blend of magic and reality, Fowley-Doyle tells a harrowing and ultimately empowering story …” —The Horn Book
“Beautiful and visceral, All the Bad Apples is for readers who’ve had enough of shame and secrets. This essential book unearths what patriarchy wants to keep buried, dragging truth into the light with a fierce belief in the power of telling stories. Moïra Fowley-Doyle has crafted a tale devastating in its universality.”—Joy McCullough, author of Blood Water Paint
“An uncompromising, raw tale … Told in a mix of letters, family stories, and narrative, this devastating novel manages to find hope for the future while sending pointed messages that are as vital as they are timely.”—Publishers Weekly
“[T]he echo of past trauma is hauntingly underscored by the invocation of the banshee scream, and the book has a simmering, authentically righteous fury … Give this to readers of Wallace’s The Memory Trees or Griffin’s Other Words for Smoke for a similarly eerie look at how present ills are informed by past sins.”—BCCB
“An emotional journey through Ireland’s unspoken history… . Simultaneously enjoyable and difficult to read, Fowley-Doyle’s fast-paced, evocative novel introduces … unsettling truths, both historical and contemporary, such as incest, rape, abortion, child labor, and violence against women and those in the LGBTQ community. These topics, however, are important and are handled with great care … Recommended for readers who enjoy realistic and historical fiction.”—School Library Journal