An extremely assured and wonderfully funny first novel with a rollicking plot - and at its heart an extremely touching and believable relationship between a twenty-something brother and sister. AN EVENING OF LONG GOODBYES tells the story of Charles and his sister Bel. They live in a crumbling old house outside Dublin where Charles is indolently escaping from real life while Bel strives to live life to the full. Both are romantics; both are trying to find their way in the world without losing themselves, each other and the things they hold dear. And all kinds of things happen along the way: there are fistfights, greyhound races, explosions, many cases of mistaken identity, unwise love affairs and more...