The Irish Goodbye
The Irish Goodbye is about three sisters returning to their family home on the shores of Eastern Long Island for Thanksgiving, each carrying lingering grief and guilt over their brother’s tragic death years earlier. When an unexpected guest from their past arrives, long-buried secrets and resentments resurface—and threaten to shatter their fragile reunion. Far more than the holiday will be ruined unless the sisters can find a way to forgive and accept themselves—and each other.
COMING SOON
October 21, 2025
from Henry Holt
Pre-order here:
Early Praise
“Erehenetus et, nestiorro veressit, volorem. Ut a sequibus estio ommolupta venda versped ea sae apelento bereicius doluptinum soloribus, sime ma aceprem.”
— Author Name
"THE IRISH GOODBYE has it all: a lovable cast of complex characters; forbidden affairs; a stately, crumbling beach house; a doomed sailboat; long-suppressed family secrets; and one pressure-cooker of a holiday weekend. Above all, this finely-crafted novel explores what it means to be a family, and what we owe each other and ourselves."
— Amy Shearn, award-winning author of ANIMAL INSTINCT and UNSEEN CITY
“Erehenetus et, nestiorro veressit, volorem. Ut a sequibus estio ommolupta venda versped ea sae apelento bereicius doluptinum soloribus, sime ma aceprem.”
— Author Name
About the Author
Heather Aimee O’Neill is the author of two poetry collections: Memory Future (winner of the University of Southern California’s Gold Line Press Award) and Obliterations (co-authored with Jessica Piazza, published by Red Hen). Her debut novel, The Irish Goodbye, will be published by Henry Holt in October 2025. As a developmental editor and assistant director of the Sackett Street Writers’ Workshop, she has worked with hundreds of writers who have gone on to publish with major publishing houses, including Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan and Hachette Book Group. She lives in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, with her beautiful wife, two sons, and—she hopes, one day—a dog.