Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

Set in Northern Ireland during the 1970s at the height of the Troubles, Trespasses follows Cushla, a 24 year-old teacher who falls in love with an older barrister. The only problem? She's a Catholic and he's Protestant.

What I loved the most about this is the style of writing, it felt like an intimate look into a family's life during this period, and the unbelievably difficult dance of existing in a town where both Catholics and Protestants lived. It's the first full-length novel from Louise Kennedy at a tight ~280 pages. I ate this up. The cover art doesn't hurt, either.