Above you can see the fantastic cover for the Taiwanese edition of Anne Griffin‘s best-selling, critically-acclaimed debut, WHEN ALL IS SAID. Published in Taiwan by 寂寞 as 五杯酒, here’s the synopsis…

這五個人究竟是誰？
當第五杯酒飲盡，他又將走向何處？

07：05 pm 第一杯，敬東尼，司陶特啤酒
07：47 pm 第二杯，敬茉莉，波希米爾21年麥芽威士忌
08：35 pm 第三杯，敬諾琳，司陶特啤酒
09：20 pm 第四杯，敬凱文，傑佛森總統精選波本威士忌
10：10 pm 最後一杯，敬莎蒂，米爾頓威士忌

那杯酒……富含秋日色彩的調性令我著迷，泥土、樹木、落葉和秋晚天色全在裡面了，它的香氣也生機飽滿，還沒碰到唇就先潤了喉，打從脊椎深處滲出一陣顫抖。

傷痛的千百種滋味，莫里斯差不多都嚐過了。

但是這一夜，他拋下了自己擁有的一切，甚至把長期陪伴的狗也送走，獨自斜靠著吧檯，要藉著五杯酒，把醞釀了一生的話語，傾倒而出。

他準備向生命中五個重要的人致敬。這些人給他力量、溫暖與愛，讓他從底層一路咬牙奮鬥，終於晉升到今日的位置；但是，這些曾經深刻的愛，卻也在不知不覺中，被他逐漸推遠了。

這夜才開始，第一杯已上桌，且聽他開場：「我來此回憶過往曾擁有，如今卻不能再得的一切。」

這五個人究竟是誰？陷落心靈黑洞的莫里斯，為何特別選擇在今夜獨酌？當第五杯酒飲盡，他又將走向何處？

WHEN ALL IS SAID is published by Sceptre in the UK and Ireland, by St. Martin’s Press in North America, and in a growing number of translated editions around the world. Here’s the English-language synopsis…

Five toasts. Five people. One lifetime.

‘I’m here to remember – all that I have been and all that I will never be again.’

At the bar of a grand hotel in a small Irish town sits 84-year-old Maurice Hannigan. He’s alone, as usual -though tonight is anything but. Pull up a stool and charge your glass, because Maurice is finally ready to tell his story.

Over the course of this evening, he will raise five toasts to the five people who have meant the most to him. Through these stories – of unspoken joy and regret, a secret tragedy kept hidden, a fierce love that never found its voice – the life of one man will be powerfully and poignantly laid bare.

Heart-breaking and heart-warming all at once, the voice of Maurice Hannigan will stay with you long after all is said.

Here’s just a small selection of the aforementioned critical-acclaim…

‘Anne Griffin’s debut novel is a must read. Beautifully observed, masterful story telling – stunning!’ — Graham Norton

‘An extraordinary novel, a poetic writer, and a story that moved me to tears… There is something special here.’ — John Boyne

‘[An] impressively confident debut … Maurice Hannigan emerges as an engaging, compassionate creation’ — Guardian

‘Griffin’s portrait of an Irish octogenarian provides a stage for the exploration of guilt, regret, and loss, all in the course of one memorable night.’ — Kirkus

‘Maurice’s humor, his keen observations on class and family, and his colloquial language, as well as Griffin’s strong sense of place, create the feeling of a life connected to many others by strands of affection and hatred.’ — Publishers Weekly

‘Pitch-perfect prose… Moving and beautifully written, this is a wonderfully assured debut.’ — Mail on Sunday

‘It’s all beautifully done; a tale told in the plain but poetic prose of a man who recognises the tragic truths gleaned from a life of love and loss. A gem of a book.’ 5* — Sunday Express

‘A proper tear-jerker, but one that will ultimately leave you feeling hopeful.’ — Grazia

‘Cinq toasts autour desquels est organisé TOUTE UNE VIE ET UN SOIR, cinq toasts pour raviver les instants-clés qui ont fait l’histoire d’Hannegan et, à travers lui, celle des métamorphoses de l’Irlande après son indépendance…’ — Le Monde