James Roseman in conversation with Declan Toohey
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We proudly present an evening with writer James Roseman in conversation with author Declan Toohey about Roseman’s debut book, The Placeholders, published by Verve Books. Admission to this event is free, but booking is essential.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
An unflinching and emotionally insightful debut about cultural identity, homesickness, love and loss.
In the five years following his brother’s death, Aaron has built himself a life of solitary routines. After moving from Dublin to Boston, and illegally overstaying her visa, Róisín has done the same.
When the two meet on a night out, they each find in the other something missing in their lives. A semblance of home.
Their relationship is complicated by their disparate religious backgrounds – Aaron is Jewish; Roísín is atheist – and by the harsh realities of everyday life. Just as they’re pushed to their breaking point, Roísín realises she is pregnant.
Placeholders is a poignant story of loneliness corrected and the transformative power of love.
PRAISE FOR THE PLACEHOLDERS:
‘Placeholders is an incredibly assured debut novel – humane, heartfelt and beautifully observed. Roseman raises huge questions about identity, belonging and family, excelling in his depiction of the small, everyday exchanges which make or break a relationship. A quietly, powerful novel, from a writer I’m keen to keep my eye on’
– Jan Carson, author of Quickly, While They Still Have Horses
‘Placeholders is a beautiful debut. A quietly moving reminder that people, not ideas, are what make or break a home or a heart’
– Sheila Armstrong, author of Falling Animals
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS:
James Roseman is an American-Jewish author born in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and raised outside of Boston. He’s lived in Dublin, Ireland, since 2019. He received his MFA in Creative Writing and Literature from the Benington Writing Seminars at Bennington College, Vermont.
Declan Toohey was born in Scotland in 1997 and grew up in County Kildare. In 2021 he was a winner of the IWC Novel Fair, and in 2022 he won the Maeve Binchy Travel Award. An MFA graduate of University College Dublin, he is the recipient of an Agility Award and a Literature Bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland. His first novel, Perpetual Comedown, was published by New Island Books in February 2023.
