Factory Girls

More about the book

A funny, fierce, and unforgettable read about a young woman working a summer job in a shirt factory in Northern Ireland, while tensions rise both inside and outside the factory walls. In the summer of 1994, Maeve Murray is determined to achieve good final exam results to escape her troubled Northern Irish town. She dreams of studying journalism in London, away from her crowded home and the lingering sadness from her sister’s death, as well as the violence of her divided community. Taking a job in a shirt factory alongside Protestants and her best friends, Maeve faces multiple challenges: surviving a paramilitary campaign, meeting the demanding quota of ironing 100 shirts an hour, and navigating the dubious attentions of her slick English boss, Handy Andy Strawbridge. As the British loyalist marching season heightens tensions among the Catholic and Protestant workers, Maeve uncovers troubling secrets behind the factory’s façade. What begins as a chance to earn money evolves into a crucible where Maeve confronts the test of a lifetime. Seeking justice for herself and her coworkers may be her only path out of town. With biting humor and a clear-eyed perspective, the narrative addresses themes of wealth, power, religion, and nationalism, highlighting how young women maintain hope in divided, violent times.