Spring Release 2026!
A character-driven Irish tragicomedy threaded with wit, heartbreak, and bittersweet redemption.
Out of the frying pan, into the fire—Shibby Magee throws her heart into finding her place in the world.
Echoing the tones of the TV series Fleabag, Shibby Magee is wry and wickedly irreverent while reflecting the sharp, dark dynamics of The Banshees of Inisherin. Full of texture and lyrical rhythm, it will appeal to fans of The Bee Sting by Paul Murray, The Good Eggs by Rebecca Hardiman, All We Shall Know by Donal Ryan, The Outside Boy by Jeanine Cummins, The Green Road by Anne Enright, Brooklyn by Colm Tóibín, Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy, and the works of Claire Keegan.
When their mother, Vera Coffey, disappears after announcing she's a Traveller/Mincéir, Shibby and her twin sister, Dorah, are abandoned to a settled family already cracking at the seams. Under the iron rule of their rigidly bigoted grandmother, the two girls grow up on opposite tracks: Dorah arrogant and bold; Shibby bruised and quietly resilient.
As Shibby stumbles into adulthood, she's drawn to men who either abuse or dump her. She finds fleeting stability in the fast-paced chaos of a restaurant kitchen—but a question gnaws at her: is her future in the rooted life of the settled or on the open road to God only knows where? With the fierce support of a chosen few—Alice Duffy, housekeeper turned surrogate mother; Moochie de Barra, an affectionate stand-in for an emotionally absent father; and Kitty Dooley, a Traveller whose loyalty never wavers—Shibby begins to uncover hard truths about identity, family, and what she desperately needs to find where she truly belongs.
Praise for Shibby Magee:
"Carrie Kabak follows the indelible, indefatigable Shibby Magee during two crucial years in her life,
one in girlhood and then another at midlife womanhood, as she struggles against prejudice, cruelty, and abandonment in her search to find her true place in an increasingly confounding world, be it in
a bustling restaurant or on the road as an Irish Traveller—an extraordinary, wily community I’d never heard of before and was delighted to encounter. Warm, wise, with dashes of wit, Kabak’s novel is just magnificent."
—Caroline Leavitt,
New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You, With or Without You, and Days of Wonder.
"In this captivating and insightful novel, Carrie Kabak introduces the unforgettable Shibby Magee,
who navigates adulthood in search of love and stability while grappling with the enduring shadows
of childhood abandonment. Filled with multi-dimensional characters and evocative imagery, this is
a heartfelt and poignant story that lingers long after the final page."
—Holly Kennedy,
Edgar Award Nominee and Giller Prize Longlisted author of The Sideways Life of Denny Voss