Louise Kennedy’s second novel, *Stations*, follows Róisín and Red, two troubled young people whose friendship begins in 1982 Northern Ireland and resumes in London. Their relationship unfolds over 25 years, against the legacy of the Troubles and the hardships facing Irish people who have left home; the review presents the book as a tender but unsparing story of love, loyalty and inherited trauma.

The novel uses dated entries separated by gaps and evokes 1980s London through squats, gas heaters and payphones. The reviewer praises Kennedy’s vivid portrayal of flawed, self-destructive characters, particularly Róisín, and her compassion for a generation marked by poverty, violence, addiction, shame and loss. Kennedy’s debut, *Trespasses*, was an international bestseller translated into more than 20 languages.