Barbara Leahy and Djamel White in conversation with Sarah Harte

Hanging beside the door is a painting of a wedding feast. The light is centred on the bride; the guests are banished to the shade. That is how it is when he looks at her: all others fade away. 1642. The Dutch Golden Age is underway, and Geertje, an impoverished widow from Edam becomes nursemaid in the house of renowned painter Rembrandt. After his wife dies, Geertje grows close to him, and despite her friends’ warnings she begins a passionate affair with the master of light and shadow, with devastating results.

‘A believable, elegant and atmospheric novel – just beautiful.’ Nuala O’Connor

After five years in England, where he fled after murdering a rival gang member, Tony Ward is back in Dublin. He returns to find that his mentor is dead and his best friend has gone straight. Keen to reestablish himself, he jumps at the chance to work for the enforcer of a local crime boss. But Flute Walsh is a far cry from the boy Tony once knew. By turns savage, erotic, and unexpectedly tender, All Them Dogs is a gripping story of violence, lust, and greed that explores one man’s struggles to find balance in an unsparing world.

‘In the best Irish style, Djamel White uses a local voice to blast through language and make it new. His hero, Tony Ward, is a bittersweet confection of self-defeating swagger and All Them Dogs is a stylish, adroit and gritty debut.’ Anne Enright

Thursday 23 April 2026

City Library | 7pm | Free