The secrets we keep: Mary Beth Keane on her latest novel, 'Ask Again, Yes'

The latest novel by Irish-American author Mary Beth Keane, exploring what happens behind the closed doors of two NYPD families, has catapulted her into the cultural conversation, writes Esther McCarthy

When Mary Beth Keane was nervously reading parenting books prior to the arrival of her first child, her own mother gave her some sound words of wisdom: “None of it matters, the baby will teach you”. It’s a mantra she often remembers when she’s writing a novel.