“I’m immensely fond of Liam Horan’s skilful, vivid, nuanced writing, which moves from insight to humour to emotional truthfulness, often in the one crafted paragraph. He’s a storyteller of great gifts, and they are all to be admired in this deeply impressive debut novel.”

Joseph O’Connor, author of My Father’s House and The Ghosts of Rome:

“On the Way Out navigates the lives of ordinary people with tenderness, wit, and acuity. This debut novel captures the complicated and often sticky web of small-town life: overlapping conversations in community halls, wary bonds formed in half-heated meeting rooms, gossip that can be both kind and cruel. The town itself is a character—a bit ragged but full of possibility. Each chapter alternates between characters so that their lives echo and refract off each other. How will Louise’s struggle with her shop bump against Matt’s attempts at connection? How will Tríona’s breathing exercises help these residents catch their breath and continue on? The dialogue is sharp but not heartless, funny but also reveals the ache of loneliness and grief. On the Way Out offers heartbreak and heart mending, showing us that we are, indeed, bound together in community”.

Kerry Beth Neville, judge in the Gerald Griffin Competition for First Original Adult Fiction, 2025 - author of Momma May be Mad

“A deft coming together of the strands one expects in a novel: an engaging story, interesting characters, an ability to bounce the reader with its steady movement to a conclusion. Its wit and savvy of small-town politics and atmosphere will appeal to many readers. There are also the more subtle devices of the art of fiction, such as the writing style itself and the use of sub-themes such as pilgrimage and the Kenny Rodgers motifs of gambling and the need to fight for one’s rights. The importance of dialogue for the health of society, as well as the need to take chances, are deftly and wittily handled, but not without driving home the gravity of the situation with which small communities are threatened. We get a glimpse of self-interested power-play which threatens to wipe out a segment of the charm and livelihood of a small town, a street and its citizens, but the solution recommended is not violence, but wisdom and canniness. There’s decency in people once you don’t back them into corners, as Louise emails Matt. But occasionally it helps to talk quietly and carry a medium-sized stick.”

Ciaran O'Driscoll, poet and novelist, judge in the Gerald Griffin Competition for First Original Adult Fiction, 2025 - author of The Golden Ass

"If you're looking for a witty, laugh-out-loud novel, that has more Irishisms than BellX1's entire discography, then look no further than debut-novelist Liam Horan and his gem of a book 'On The Way Out'. 𝐼𝑡'𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑜𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝐶𝑜𝑟𝑛𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑜! 😉"

Louise Rooney