Wild Houses

DEBUT Dev Hendrick is an introspective thirtysomething living alone in a cottage in the Irish countryside near a small town. His mother, whom he had been living with, has recently passed away; he has quit his job and is subsisting mostly on the income he earns by storing drugs for his cousins Gabe and Sketch Ferdia. Dev’s quiet life is suddenly upended when Gabe and Sketch unexpectedly descend on his cottage just before the town’s big annual festival, bringing with them a hostage—a local teenager named Doll, whom they’ve kidnapped to assure payment of drug money owed to them by Doll’s older brother. The weekend that follows centers on the not always cordial relationships between the extended family members and on Dev’s growing relationship with Doll, all while he explores the narrow contours of his past and present. Hanging over everything is the question of what will happen to Doll come Monday if her brother doesn’t repay the Ferdias.