Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling!: Just a Small-Town Girl Living in a Notions World

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The match is in extra time with less than a minute to go,” I point out, nodding at the telly. “You were out for the count.”

So weit, so gut. Für mich klang das nach einer starken Protagonistin, einem großen Abenteuer und einem Befreiungsschlag, um Träume zu verwirklichen. Nun ja, in dieser Hinsicht wurde ich leider enttäuscht. Aisling verhält sich so, dass sie dem Titel "OMG, diese Aisling!" mehr als gerecht wird. Denn wie oft habe ich über sie den Kopf geschüttelt, mir an den Kopf gefasst und gegen die Stirn geschlagen? I'm not Irish, never even been to Ireland so my entire experience of Irish families is based on reading Marian Keyes. This reminded me of her stories, with the family and the humour particularly, but the bite of bittersweet also reminded me of her books. Irish duo Sarah Breen and EmerMcLysaght admitted emotions were running high as the final instalment of their popular series of novels hit shelves on Monday. Aisling Ever After’ is on shelves now after Ireland, while the audio book is due to be released later. Which why now is NOT the time for a delicious new man to show up, her best friend to demand the hen do of the century and a surprise celebrity appearance . . .There was space there for me to do that. So we did that twice, we delayed a book. And everyone around me was so brilliant.

Emer said: “Now Sarah and I would be absolutely mortified about anything approaching a sex scene but we decided for the last book we’d ramp it up a little bit and we ramped it up so much our publisher asked us to tone it down [laughed].There are universal elements to Aisling that make her relatable to almost anyone, anywhere, but she is written through a uniquely Irish lexicon – she is the Irish mammy so many of us have and are, and also the Irish daughter, the fish-out-of-water country girl in the big smoke, the young woman simultaneously navigating independence and her desire for a traditional relationship, the Irish person ensconced in a tight community in which they legitimately feel a sense of belonging. For a dyed-in-the-wool farmer, Daddy is low-key obsessed with soaps, especially the Australian ones. I think part of him longs for a bit of escapism. He doesn’t get much glamour moving sheep and cattle around all day. Aisling is at that age where all around her people are getting married. Surely she’s next. After all, she and her boyfriend John have been together for seven years. When a romantic getaway turns into a disaster, Aisling decides it’s time to move on. Leaving John behind, she moves from her tiny village to the bright lights of Dublin.

All that fear, silence, secrecy and toxic shame [in Ireland] impacts in countless different ways on the mental health of the woman affected. READ MORE: Electric Picnic speculation rife that popular band could reunite for surprise appearanceJohn’s driving me mad.” The words fall out of my mouth accidentally. “He said that ourselves getting married any time in the near future was a bit of a far-fetched idea.” Illustration from Aisling Ever After, the final book in the Oh My God, What A Complete Aisling series by Emer McLysaght and Sarah Breen. Illustration: Lauren O'Neill

There's a theme of romance in this, but it's not a romantic story, more a coming of age story which disappointed me a bit if I'm honest. The end kind of came up from nowhere and ends were left loose which isn't my thing, but still, a good read. Aisling wohnt mit 28 Jahren noch bei ihren Eltern und träumt von der großen Liebe und einem Ring am Finger. Doch ihr langjähriger Freund John hat da offenbar andere Pläne. Als ihr das klar wird, trennt sie sich kurzerhand von ihm und zieht in eine WG in Dublin. You get the picture. They both have one main street and plenty of pubs. The hurling teams play each other in almost every county final, with the competition frequently spilling off the pitch and into everyday life. As a result, Daddy sees myself and John as a sort of modern-day Romeo and Juliet but with fewer suicides and more GAA dinner-dances. The hotly anticipated second book in the Aisling trilogy, The Importance of Being Aisling, is set for release on September 20th. The women I am having brunch with (brunch is a "notions" meal observed by notions Dublin types, and Aisling would strongly favour a sandwich with chips on the side) tell stories of Aislings they know or work with, or tell stories about themselves in an attempt to prove they are "actually a complete Aisling really". The book opens with Aisling living the dream, dating a bona fide New York fireman and working for an events company in Manhattan that organises parties for celebrities. But when Aisling’s ex-boyfriend John shows up in the first chapter with a marriage proposal, she is forced to reassess what she wants. Is her heart in New York or her hometown of Ballygobbard (or Ballygobatshit, as her American boss likes to call it)? The book follows Aisling’s consideration of the question, along with several subplots, including a hen do, a pregnancy and some unexpected announcements. Some of the scenes are written with great tenderness and depth, while others are played for straight comedy.Until she discovers that being a proper grown-up means you can't do everything. Sometimes you will let someone down. So who is Aisling? In short, she’s the Irish everywoman who over the past six years and five books has become a runaway publishing success story. Co-author Sarah Breen summed her up best for this newspaper in 2017. “Aisling’s the country girl who works up in Dublin but has precisely zero time for your city notions, thank you very much. She loves working in the Big Smoke – very sophisticated altogether – but she loves going Down Home every weekend even more ... Aisling loves a good wake; Aisling has never hidden from the television licence inspector; Aisling knows the Weight Watchers points in everything.” Meanwhile, in Ballygobbard, it’s all go. Baby showers are the new hen parties, Mammy and Dr Trevor are more serious than Aisling thought, and the prospect of two evil stepsisters has her doubting her place in the family. Pulled between head, heart and home, Aisling strives to finally create her own happy ever after.”