Trieste, 1904. James Joyce - not yet famous - arrives in the city by train with Norah Barnacle. Penniless, he goes to seek out a loan, leaving Norah sitting on a suitcase outside the train station for almost an entire day and night. In reality, Norah waited for him; they were reunited, and the rest is history. But what if she hadn't?

In Penelope Unbound, one of Ireland's greatest living novelists weaves a spellbinding speculative narrative. By unhooking Norah from her famous husband, Mary Morrissy gives her a compelling new voice, with heartbreak and humanity all her own. Sensual, inventive and uproariously funny, Penelope Unbound reimagines a Joycean heroine for the modern age.