Caboodle Firsts: Be one of the first to read Alice Ryan's There's Been a Little Incident

We're giving 100 Caboodlers the chance to read Alice Ryan's There's Been a Little Incident before it's out in September.

A witty and warm debut novel from a young Irish writer. A story of family, grief, and the ways we come together when all seems lost.

Molly Black has disappeared. She's been a bit flighty since her parents died, but this time – or so says her hastily written note – she's gone for good.

That's why the whole Black clan – from Granny perched on the printer all the way through to Killian on Zoom from Sydney – is huddled together in the Dublin suburbs, arguing over what to do.

Former model Lady V presumes Molly's just off taking drugs and sleeping with foreigners – which is fine by her. Cousin Anne, tired of living in Molly's shadow, is keeping quiet, and cousin Bobby is distracted by his own issues.

But Molly's disappearance is uncomfortably familiar to Uncle John. It doesn't feel like Molly's gone, it feels like she's lost, and he's determined never to lose anyone again. Especially not his niece, who is more like her mum than she realises.

'Here is a story that takes on grief in its many insidious guises, and yet this brave, big-hearted novel is full of warmth and wisdom. Clever, funny and an utterly life-enhancing read.' – Christine Dwyer Hickey, author of The Narrow Land

'Told with great generosity and humour... Absorbing, uplifting and very hopeful.' – Sinéad Crowley, author of The Belladonna Maze

Read the first four chapters

Get your copy

This competition ended on 11/08/2022

Terms and Conditions

100 people will receive a copy of Alice Ryan's There's Been a Little Incident

By entering this competition, you also agree to the Caboodle Terms and Conditions and Caboodle Points Terms and Conditions.
Closing date: 11:59pm, Thursday 11th August 2022.
No purchase necessary.
Only one entry per person will be accepted. Entrants may not win more than one prize.
The competition is open to UK and Republic of Ireland residents except employees of the Booksellers Association and Book Tokens Ltd., their families, employees of participating bookshops, and anyone else connected with this promotion.
Entrants must be aged 16 or over.
The Promoter accepts no responsibility for entries that are incomplete, illegible, incorrect, corrupted or fail to reach the Promoter by the closing date for any reason. Automatically generated entries or entries via third parties are invalid and shall not be considered.
Entrants agree to the Promoter using their details in post-competition publicity. Your details will not be used for any other purpose, or passed onto any third parties, unless specified. Winners’ details will be shared securely with a third party (such as the publisher) in order to fulfil the dispatch of prizes.
Entrants will automatically collect 5 Caboodle Points. Find out more about How Caboodle Works.
The prizes are non-transferable and there are no cash alternatives, and are subject to availability. The Promoter reserves the right to amend the specification of the prize or offer an alternative prize. In exceptional circumstances, the Promoter reserves the right to foreclose the competition without notice.
Prizes are sent to winners prior to publication and so the cover may differ from the image shown, and may be an uncorrected proof copy.
The Promoter accepts no responsibility for winners not receiving the prize before stated publication date due to prize unavailability from the publisher, technical issue resulting in a delay from the publisher, or for any other reason.
The Promoter will choose winners at random from all qualifying entries.
Winners will receive the prize to the address they provided upon entering.
The Promoter will contact winners by email shortly after the closing date to inform them that their prize is on its way. Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted.
The Promoter reserves the right to allocate the prize to another winner, or foreclose the prize.
The Promoter accepts no responsibility for winners not receiving the Promoter’s communications due to their spam filter, accidental deletion, incorrect postal address or email provided, or for any other reason. In the event of this, the Promoter is unable to provide compensation.
The Promoter accepts no responsibility for winners not receiving their prize once it has been dispatched. On a case-by-case basis, the Promoter will do their best to compensate the winner but regretfully this may not always be possible.
The Promoter’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.
The Promoter will only use your email address and other personal information as outlined in our privacy policy.
Promoter: Book Tokens Ltd, 6 Bell Yard, London, WC2A 2JR.
Due to the ongoing pandemic (COVID-19), there may be a delay in prizes being dispatched or delay in contacting winners due to the availability of such prizes. The Promoter accepts no liability for the delay of prizes being received and is unable to compensate for delays or any other unavoidable issues.