Christmas is not a joyous occasion for everyone. Not at the Cross. Yet hope and humour remain.

Blaithnaid's relationship with Kieran is not good. She has allies in Nadina the prostitute who soothes her with potatoes and Yoichi a Japanese neighbour who offers tea but only a little sympathy. David a neighbour supplies something approaching a festive Christmas with plum pudding and White Christmas. There is snow, there are Christmas lights and there are friends meeting for drinks. There is violence, there are threats and there is heartache. How will Blaithnaid find her way through all of this?

Christmas at the Cross - a Kings Cross story - is a novella in five parts from Bridge House Publishing. Maeve Murphy creates a compelling text, an authentic voice and a real sense of place.

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"This is a story about women who have had enough. If you have had enough too, this is for you. But regardless, you will be astonished by Maeve's riveting tale."

Jim Sheridan, screenwriter and director of My Left Foot

"A hard-hitting text to power the storyline... fascinated by the outsider themes and site-specific detail of Christmas at the Cross, I immediately recognized the authentic edge of a narrative driven both by idioms of the street and the openness of an acute observer."

Aidan Dun, poet

"An enthralling story that shows the blooming of humanity in its essence where you would least expect it."

Maria Cristina Savioli in Il Resto del Carlino