The grassroots, statewide nonprofit Finding Our Voices invites everyone to join a free, online talk on Tuesday, Nov.18 at 2 p.m. with Booker Prize-winning novelist Roddy Doyle who will be “Zooming” in from Dublin, Ireland.

Doyle will be discussing the domestic abuse that is central to his trilogy of fictional books that are written in the voice of Paula Spencer and span 1996's “The Woman Who Walked Into Door”  to 2024's “The Women Behind the Door.”

The thought-provoking and unique Finding Our Voices discussions with authors offer rare insight into the ways domestic abuse is portrayed—and often hidden—in literature.

The five-part Irish-author series that continues through March was inspired by the actor Gabriel Byrne who lives in Midcoast Maine and last winter hosted a hugely successful fundraising event in Camden for Finding Our Voices. According to the nonprofit's CEO+Founder Patrisha McLean, Byrne sends her reviews from Irish media outlets on books involving domestic abuse, and when she lets him know of a book she particularly loves, connects her with the author.

A further Irish connection to Finding Our Voices is a 2020 feature story in the Irish Times about the 29 years of domestic abuse endured by McLean that she said resulted in "dozens if not hundreds of women reaching out to me to let me know about the domestic abuse they endured in Ireland and how much they related to what I went through in Maine." https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/patrisha-mclean-my-deeply-controlling-ex-husband-don-mclean-1.4407458

McLean said she reached out to Roddy Doyle just after the domestic violence arrest of her then-husband and 20 years after being "bowled over" by his first book written in the voice of domestic abuse survivor Paula Spencer. He replied that, "Paula Spencer is the character I'm most proud of."

Solas Nua, the Washington, D.C.-based group dedicated to bringing the best of Irish contemporary arts to the U.S., is partnering with Finding Our Voices on its Irish-author book talks. 

The Finding Our Voices Book Club is part of Finding Our Voices’ broader mission to break the silence surrounding domestic abuse and shine a light on the complexities and patterns of the issue. 

“Shining a light on a problem is the first step to solving it,” said McLean. “These explorations with authors of memoir and fiction remind us that domestic abuse hides in plain sight and takes many forms. With both survivors and non-survivors participating from all around the world they are also an amazing way to foster empathy and awareness.”

According to McLean, the Finding Our Voices Book Club on the cusp of its five-year anniversary "is open to anyone interested in deepening their understanding of domestic abuse, literature, and healing through community dialogue." The 20 international authors who have so far joined discussions of their books include Rachel Louise Snyder, Andre Dubus lll, Sarah Perry, Deb Gould, Kate Moore, Diane Rosenfeld, and Gretchen Cherington.

For more information on joining the upcoming book talks at home or at public libraries including Bath and Camden, visit https://findingourvoices.net/book-club