Love My Enemy

Kate MacLachlan

Zee (short for Zara) lives in a quiet suburb of Belfast, with an apparently idyllic family life. But Zee's father was shot dead in front of them all, and the whole family is still struggling with the extent of grief and pain that this has caused. Her brother Gary has become a rabid anti-Catholic, and a fervent Orange-man. And Zee? She's trying desperately to continue a normal life. Unfortunately as a teenager, this means finding boyfriends, and she is irresistibly drawn to local boy Conor, who's from the token Catholic family. Gary will kill him if he realises, and even the adults will separate them by all means if they are discovered. As Zee and Conor keep up a double life, and argue over the need to do so in what is, after all, their own hometown, the jealousies and petty hatreds of those around them come to a head. Conor is beaten up - but Zee pays for her 'disloyalty' by having her face slashed unmercifully and losing her looks forever.

Reviews

"'Teenage take on the cliche-ridden "Protestant girl meets Catholic boy" theme. A little girl grows up in suburban Belfast. Her father was shot dead in front of the family, her brother is a fervent Orangeman and now she fancies a Catholic lad in the neighbourhood. Not ideal, considering her brother will kill her boyfriend if he finds out. It comes to a horribly violent conclusion which banishes all expectation that this is your saccharine love-accross-the-barricades pastiche.'"
Eoghan Corry - Daily Ireland

"'. . . stunning novel . . . the book is so well written, so fast paced and with a strong sense of youthful romance that it is extremely enjoyable as well as being informative and enlightening.'"
Enid Stephenson - Carousel

"'Although it is set in Northern Ireland, this story can be transposed to many parts of the globe today where people's lives are affected in a similar way. An excellent debut novel.'"
Pat Williams - The School Librarian

"'. . . this book manages to avoid most of the cliches of the love-across-the divide genre. . .'"
Celia Keenan - Inis 12

"'. . . easily my favourite of the teen fiction, is another first novel set on the faultline of hate, this time in Belfast. But this time the emotional depth seems endless.'"
Victoria White comments on the Bisto Book of the Year Awards - The Irish Times