Acknowledgements
Many thanks to my first readers, Aoibheann McCann, Saoirse McCann-Callanan, James Martyn Joyce, Alan McMonagle, Lisa McInerney, Caroline Moran, Claire-Louise Bennett, Nicole Flattery, Mike McCormack and Conor O’ Callaghan.
Very special thanks to my mum, Catherine Feeney, who introduced me to books, understood their significance in a world where a woman’s voice was often unheard, and for her close reading of each draft.
Unconditional love and gratitude to my husband, Ray Glasheen, and to our sons, Jack and Finn.
This book would not exist without Sinéad Gleeson, who is utterly selfless in her promotion of other writers, particularly women, and has done Trojan work to recover and uncover women’s voices in print.
To my kind and lovely agent, Peter Straus, who loves poetry as much as I do, and to all at Rogers, Coleridge and White, especially Matt Turner, Eliza Plowden and Laurence Laluyaux.
Thank you to all at Harvill Secker, Vintage and Penguin Random House Ireland who worked on any part of this book. In particular, many thanks to Mia Quibell-Smith, Aimée Johnston, and to Rosie Palmer for her bold and brilliant jacket design. It was a dream come true to feature work by the incredible artist Daisy Patton on the North American cover. I am indebted to Zoe Norvell for her daring design, and to Natalie Olsen for the beautiful rendering of the hardcover. A huge thank you to Dan Wells, Vanessa Stauffer, Michaela Stephen, and all the team at Biblioasis who were a dream to work with on all aspects of this edition.
And finally, to Kate Harvey, my editor and friend. For her patience and dedication with this novel, and her love of its characters. Here’s to the great mad journey we went on! x
Copyright
Copyright © Elaine Feeney, 2020
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher or a license from The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency (Access Copyright). For an Access Copyright license visit www.accesscopyright.ca or call toll free to 1-800-893-5777.
First published in North America by Biblioasis in 2021
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: As you were / Elaine Feeney.
Names: Feeney, Elaine, author.
Description: Originally published: London : Harvill Secker, 2020.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20210215844
Canadiana (ebook) 20210215852
ISBN 9781771964432 (softcover) | ISBN 9781771964449 (ebook)
Classification: LCC PR6106.E36 A82 2021 | DDC 823/.92—dc23
Simultaneously published in a numbered hardcover limited edition of 300 copies, designed by Natalie Olsen and signed by the author.
Readied for the press by Daniel Wells
Softcover jacket designed by Zoe Norvell
Softcover jacket painting: Daisy Patton, Untitled (Judy’s 5 Jan ‘49) 80”x60,” Oil on archival print mounted to panel, 2017
As You Were Page 24