Big fat love - Peter Sheridan

Philo's mouth is always getting her in trouble - it's either food going in or profanities coming out. But when she turns up at the Good Shepherd convent looking for a bed, Sister Rosaleen finds she can't say no. And as it becomes clear that Philo needs to escape a troubled past, the nuns allow her into their lives, and into their hearts. Entertaining the 'oul wans' and 'oul fellas' in the day-care centre, Philo regains a sense of purpose and begins to face up to her demons. In the process, everyone's world is turned upside down.

With a heart as big as her waistband, Philo brings out the best in people. She can make even the most stony-faced crack a grin - and that includes Dina Sugrue and Cap Coyle, rival vegetable shop owners who've been at war for almost half a century. Through an unlikely mix of Blind Date, bingo and stock car racing, Philo puts heart back into a community that looked on the point of extinction. Even as the neighbourhood's tower blocks are being knocked to the ground, Philo's defiant spirit helps heal old wounds and bring back laughter and hope to a people who've forgotten such things existed.

Alive with the sights and sounds of Dublin's dockland, Peter Sheridan's debut novel is bursting with character. In turns moving, hilarious, raw and heart-warming, this gem of a story is hard to put down.