The Hearts Own Pulse: A Review of Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

There is a specific kind of tension that lives in the marrow of Louise Kennedy’s Trespasses. Set against the grey damp skies and simmering sectarian heat of 1970s Belfast, the novel doesn’t just describe a conflict; it brings it to life.

We meet Cushla, a Catholic schoolteacher. By day, she is navigating the wide-eyed anxieties of seven-year-olds; by night, she is pulling pints for locals in a town where every drink comes with a side of suspicion. Then she meets Michael. A Protestant barrister, "very" married, and undeniably magnetic. (And yes, if you’ve seen the Channel 4 adaptation, Tom Cullen really brings that magnetism home).

The Architecture of an Entanglement

Kennedy meticulously evokes the troubles through the visceral experiences of those living through them; the way words like “internment” and “gelignite” have found their way into the language of seven-year-olds. Similarly, the connection between Cushla and Michael is palpably electric, but it’s also a powder-keg.

What I loved most was Kennedy’s refusal to romanticize their power dynamic. Cushla’s attraction to Michael’s brilliance co-exists with her resentment of how he intellectualizes her language. She is drawn to his desire for her but acutely aware of its perimeter: the wife, the child, and the uncomfortable reality that she is simply the latest in a sequence of "other women." This isn't a fairy tale; it’s an entangle

ment. The ambivalence doesn't weaken their bond—it’s what makes it feel so real.

Crossing the Line

Beyond the romance, there is a "dangerous kindness" at the center of this book. This compulsion drives Michael and Cushla to cross the barricades, not just for each other but for the children caught in a deadly sectarian divide, for whom history risks repeating itself.

The relationship between Cushla and her student, Davy McGowan, is the true heartbeat of the story for me. Davy’s mixed parentage puts him directly in the crosshairs of a community that demands absolute tribalism. Cushla’s instinct to protect him feels entirely natural yet betrays her "place" in society. In a world where poverty and injustice are as ubiquitous as maxi skirts and tinned beef, her kindness is the ultimate trespass.

I genuinely couldn’t tear myself away from this book. If you loved the edge-of-your seat tension of the Channel 4 adaptation or are looking for your next historical romance fix, Trespasses deserves a place on your bookshelf.

Love,

Eve X

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