Kala – Walsh Colin (2024)

A gripping literary novel by an emerging Irish talent, in which former friends, who have been estranged for twenty years, come to terms with the horrifying events of a summer that changed their lives. ***** In the coastal village of Kinlough on the west coast of Ireland, three old friends meet for the first time in years. They - Helen, Joe, and Mush - were part of a group of six inseparable teenagers in the summer of 2003, with the carefree Kala at its center. But later that year, Kala disappeared without a trace. Now remains have been discovered in the woods - including a skull with a Polaroid photo tucked inside - and the townspeople are irritated by the reopening of this old wound, yet excited to have something to discuss. On the eve of this terrible discovery, Helen reluctantly returned to town for her father's wedding, world-renowned musician Joe came home to rediscover his authentic voice, and Mush - he never left, too devastated by the events of that summer, and the world for him ended at his mother's café counter. However, when two more girls go missing, they are forced to confront their own complicity in the events that led to Kala's disappearance. In the end, they must do what others should have done long ago to stop the repetition of violent patterns from the past...