Ruth O'Leary on "The Last Week of Him", How Well Do We Really Know Our Friends and Life on the Big Screen

Bestselling Irish author Ruth O'Leary joins Kate and Michelle to discuss her latest novel, The Last Week of Him, the story of three women reunited in the west of Ireland after receiving a shocking WhatsApp message about the sudden death of their secondary school golden boy.

Ruth walks through exactly how the book came together, she also reflects on the central question she hopes the book raises for readers and book clubs: how well do we really know our friends when so much of our insight into their lives comes through social media? And does a difficult upbringing ever truly excuse the way we treat people?

Away from the page, Ruth shares stories from over twelve years working as a film and TV extra, from playing a nun beside Russell Crowe to running up Wicklow fields as a Viking.

A joyful, generous conversation about storytelling, friendship & writing.

Key takeaways for writers:

• A strong visual concept, can anchor an entire novel before you write a word.
• Using a tight timeframe as a structural scaffold keeps your plot grounded and your pacing sharp.
• Writing detailed character bios with reference images before drafting helps bring fictional people to vivid life.
• Location is not just backdrop, it actively shapes what your characters can and cannot do.
• Epilogues matter: if you are invested in your characters, your readers will be too.

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