The Wardrobe Department (Signed Edition) British Library BOTM - February
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The British Library Bookshop's Book of the Month for February 2026
Mairéad works tirelessly in a run-down West End theatre's wardrobe department - mending shoes, fixing broken zips and even handwashing underwear. She must also sidestep groping hands backstage and withstand the relentless bullying of the show's producer.
The job was meant to be the first step towards the life Mairéad has always wanted, and yet half of her remains back home in Ireland, along with everything she abandoned there.
A reckoning with the past is coming and, with it, the need to forge a new present - one stitch at a time.
The BL Bookshop Says:
"The Wardrobe Department slips behind the scenes of a West End theatre and into the quiet, aching life of Mairéad, stitching costumes by day, holding herself together by night. Elaine Garvey’s debut is tender, sharp and full of bite: a story about work that wears you down, homes that pull you back, and the slow, brave act of choosing yourself. Witty, compassionate and beautifully observed, this is a novel about belonging...to a place, a past, and a future you’re still daring to imagine. Gorgeous!"
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