Anne Enright and Edna O'Brien paved the way. Image: Getty/Alicia Fernandes/Penguin

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How Ireland’s women writers found their long-overdue spotlight

The most uplifting and charming debut of the year

The Lost Letters of William Woolf

Lose yourself in the uplifting, escapist debut of the year . . . 
 
'If you liked Harold Fry and Me Before You, you will love Cullen's nostalgic debut. This life-affirming book will draw you in and keep you there' Independent 
 
William Woolf is a letter detective at the Dead Letters Depot in East London, spending his days reuniting lost mail with its intended recipient. 
 
But when he discovers a series of letters addressed simply to 'My Great Love' everything changes . . . 
 
Written by a woman to a soulmate she hasn't met yet, her heartfelt words stir William in ways he has long forgotten. 
 
Could they be destined for him? And what would that mean for his own troubled marriage? 
 
William must follow the clues in the letters to solve his most important mystery yet: his own heart. 
_________ 
 
'I found myself totally transported into William's poignant and beguiling world of lost opportunities and love' A. J. Pearce, author of Sunday Times bestseller Dear Mrs Bird 
 
'An enchanting contribution to the popular new trend of 'up lit', like Gail Honeyman's Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine' Irish Times 
 
'Delightful' Sunday Times 
 
SHORTLISTED FOR NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR, IRISH BOOK AWARDS

If you liked Harold Fry and Me Before You, you will love Helen Cullen's nostalgic debut. With its themes of love, romance and frustrated hopes, this life-affirming book will draw you in and keep you there

Enchanting, intriguing, deeply moving. The Lost Letters of William Woolf concerns itself as much with lost love as it does with lost letters

Helen Cullen's The Lost Letters of William Woolf is a lovely novel. I found myself totally transported into William's poignant and beguiling world of lost opportunities and love

A. J. Pearce, bestselling author of Dear Mrs Bird

A charming romantic caper. William Woolf, a thirty-something Englishman working in the dead letters depot of London, is the latest in a tribe of unlikely heroes. Delightful

A fantastic debut about the vital importance of the written word. Watch The Lost Letters of William Woolf become a big hit

Cullen presents readers with the mundane reality of "happily ever" after and how real life can undermine the greatest of romances. The novel is realistic without being grim and offers hope for change and transformation

Is it love or fantasy which is tormenting him? An original, refreshing novel about lost love and whether the grass is greener on the other side

Once in a while a book comes along that captures your heart, and this one charmed me from the first page . . . An enchanting and bittersweet exploration of what love really means

Maria Dickenson, Managing Director, Dubray Books

A strong debut. Cullen's greatest strength is the way she writes so movingly about how day-to-day life can chip away at a once-solid relationship until it crumbles

Book of the Month. A perfect poolside read. Read if you liked Rachel Joyce, Alison Moore or Naomi Banoran

Wonderfully warmhearted and quirky

Whimsical, wistful tale of love and longing

A spellbinding novel. Compelling, lyrical and deeply moving

Caroline Busher, bestselling author of The Ghosts of Magnificent Children

Gorgeous. Packed full of romance and longing, the writing pulls you in and doesn't let go until the very last page. I was so sad to finish it

A novel to get lost in. Warm and funny and set in a world that is both recognisable and completely the talented Helen Cullen's own

This debut novel enchants and captivates. William Woolf has what seems to be the best job in the world: he works at the Dead Letters Depot, where he dedicates his life to reuniting letters and parcels that do not have a proper address with their intended recipients. Honest yet lyrical, Cullen's characters are drawn with sympathy. Lose yourself in the whimsy

A novel [about] the complexities of our inner lives, and of the inner lives of others. Entertaining and enriching

A quirky, enjoyable novel about communication, relationships and love

A tale of love, but also self-discovery. Against the backdrop of 1980's London William Woolf weaves his way through this epistolary quest, intercepting midnight-blue love letters he believes are meant for him. Helen Cullen's words stayed with me long after I had read them

Alba Arikha, author of Major/Minor and the forthcoming Where to find me

A strong debut . . . Helen Cullen writes movingly about how day-to-day life can chip away at a solid relationship

An enchanting, lyrical page-turner and an ode to London, love, Dublin and everything in between

Joy Rhoades, author of The Woolgrowler's Companion

A wise, imaginative and heart-warming novel about the limits of love, the allure of new romance and the lost art of letter writing

Luiza Sauma, author of Flesh and Bone and Water

I LOVED this book. If you want a beautifully written story of love, loss, heartache, thwarted dreams and relationships over time, The Lost Letters of William Woolf is for you. A lyrical exploration of things said and unsaid, and the spaces between lives

An effortlessly assured debut about how finding a lost letter and a twist of fate can make you question whether the love of your life is really meant for you after all

What a brilliant book. I couldn't put it down

Cullen effectively floods her words with music . . . surely strik[ing] chords in many of us . . . [The Lost Letters of William Woolf] genuinely leave[s] one wanting more

We're going to be talking to you for the next forty years

Generous, surprising, full of heart, Cullen's debut leaves you flooded with warmth and gratitude for all the love letters you ever received and pure regret for all the ones you never sent

Ruth Gilligan, Nine Folds Make A Paper Swan

A gorgeous love story about the multitude of possibilities and choices in our lives-and how by saying hello to one path, we say goodbye to another. The lost stories in the Dead Letters Depot moved me greatly. A delightful romantic and original debut

Tor Udall, author of A Thousand Paper Birds

A love-letter to letters and a brilliantly written, moving homage to the power of words, The Lost Letters of William Woolf celebrates the magic of pen and paper'

Nina George, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop

The Lost Letters of William Woolf is a beautiful novel, more so because at times it feels like a book out of time, capitalising on the nostalgia of a time before smartphones, emails and Google. It is a remarkably refreshing read and certainly an interesting one - and it's a debut work that marks Helen Cullen as an author worth watching

Will warm your cockles and restore your faith

Helen Cullen is an Irish writer living in London. The Lost Letters of William Woolf is her debut novel.

Inside East London's Dead Letters Depot, William Woolf unites lost mail with its intended recipient. White mice, a miniature grandfather clock and a full suit of armour are among the more unusual items lost then found thanks to William's detective work. 
 
But when he discovers a series of letters addressed only to 'My Great Love', everything changes. Written by Winter to a soulmate she hasn't yet met, her heartfelt words stir William in ways he has long forgotten. Could they be destined for him? But what about his troubled marriage? 
 
William must follow the clues in Winter's letters to solve the mystery of his own heart.

Helen Cullen

‘A moving and powerful novel from one of Ireland's finest new writers’ John Boyne

'There's a crack in everything, it's how the light gets in' Leonard Cohen 
 
On an island off the west coast of Ireland, the Moone family are poised for celebration - but are instead shattered by tragedy. Murtagh Moone is a potter and devoted husband to Maeve, an actor struggling with her most challenging role yet as mother to their four children. Now Murtagh must hold his family close as we bear witness to their story before that night. 
 
We return to the day Maeve and Murtagh meet, outside Trinity College in Dublin, and watch how one love story gives rise to another. As the Moone children learn who their parents truly are, we journey onwards with them to a future that none of the Moones can predict. 
 
Except perhaps Maeve herself.

Helen Cullen

The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually

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