Frida Slattery as Herself

‘Gorgeous, immersive? both epic and intimate, funny and wise’ Roisìn O’Donnell

‘Moving, thought-provoking, and utterly delightful‘ Elif Batuman

‘Took me back to the way I felt when reading Normal People‘ Chrissy Ryan, Stylist

‘A sexy, sprawling epic’ Glamour

A BBC Culture Pick for 2026

‘You could probably run cities on the energy generated between directors like him and actresses like her’
 
When Frida Slattery and John Reddan meet in a Dublin pub in 2005, neither can imagine how they will come to shape and define each other’s lives.?

Frida is struggling to launch her acting career, while John is already gaining a name for himself as a director. From the first they see in each other potential and the chance to create work that matters, though the lines between collaboration and exploitation, friendship and desire will prove dangerously slippery.

With the financial crisis looming, the next 16 years takes them from Dublin to London, via New York and LA, and through success and disappointment, joy and heartbreak. Their connection is tested and stretched to the point of rupture, but something remains that outlasts both their work and their own shifting perceptions.

FRIDA SLATTERY AS HERSELF is an unforgettable story of love, artistic collaboration, and two people coming of age, together and apart.

‘A gorgeous, immersive story which manages to be both epic and intimate, funny and wise. It is, among many things, a beautiful portrait of Dublin, and a story about difficult love, the lure of ambition and finding your creative voice. Tender and unexpected, the story of Frida Slattery and John Reddan will stay with me for a very long time’ ? Roisìn O’Donnell, author of NESTING

‘A deft, profound and seemingly effortless portrayal of how a series of artworks – as well as the personal and professional lives of the artists – take shape over sixteen years, spanning the 2008 financial crisis, MeToo, and COVID. Ana Kinsella manages to deliver all the pleasures of a comic-romantic novel, while thinking through a satisfying number of big themes: gender politics and financial precarity, the mysteries of artistic collaboration, and the relentless tug-of-war between freedom and security. Moving, thought-provoking and utterly delightful’ – Elif Batuman, author of THE IDIOT and EITHER/OR

‘I inhaled this consuming and addictive novel about love, artistic agency, and the charged complexities of creation, collaboration and power. Frida Slattery and John Reddan will stay with you long after you close the pages of this utterly absorbing debut’ ? Francesca Reece, author of GLASS HOUSES

‘An expansive, deeply felt love letter to artistic expression, as compelling and ambitious as it is beautifully written. Ana Kinsella handles big themes – power, desire, success – with great subtlety and skill. I loved it’ ? LISA OWENS, author of NOT WORKING and NATURAL DISASTER

‘Sublime’ ? JESSICA STANLEY, author of CONSIDER YOURSELF KISSED