In Diving for Pearls, a young woman's body floats in the Dubai marina. Her death alters the fates of six people, each one striving for a better life in an unforgiving city. A young Irish man comes to stay with his sister, keen to erase his troubled past in the heat of the Dubai sun. A Russian sex worker has outsmarted the system so far – but will her luck run out? A Pakistani taxi driver dreams of a future for his daughters. An Emirate man hides the truth about who he really is. An Ethiopian maid tries to carve out a path of her own. From every corner of the globe, Dubai has made promises to them all. Promises of gilded opportunities and bright new horizons, the chance to forget the past and protect long-held secrets. But Dubai breaks its promises, with deadly consequences. In a city of mirages, how do you find your way out?

Jamie O’Connell , from Fermoy, was Highly Commended for the Costa Short Story Award 2018, short-listed for the Maeve Binchy Award and the Sky Arts Future’s Fund, and long-listed for BBC Radio 4 Opening Lines Short Story Competition. He teaches in University College Dublin. Diving for Pearls is his debut novel and is published by Doubleday Ireland.