Out of Love

A novel for anyone who has loved and lost, and lived to tell the tale, this gorgeously written debut is a love story told in reverse, starting with the heart-rending breakup, and weaving back together an already unraveled tapestry, from tragic break-up to magical first kiss.
Out of Love is a bittersweet romance told in reverse. Beginning at the end of a relationship, each chapter takes us further back in time, weaving together an already unraveled tapestry, from tragic breakup to magical first kiss. In this dazzling debut Hazel Hayes performs a postmortem on love, tenderly but unapologetically exploring every angle, from the heights of joy to the depths of grief, and all the madness and mundanity in between. This is a modern story with the heart of a classic: truthful, tragic, and ultimately full of hope.
Out of Love begins at the end. "Angel" and Theo call it quits after nearly five years, and all the standard breakup questions arise. What did she ever see in him? How could they have spent so long together? When did they fall out of love? Were there good times before the bad? These are the questions to obsess over when a relationship ends, even when obsessing can do no good. But instead of moving forward through the emotional fallout of a breakup, Hazel Hayes takes us back in time, mining their history for days and details to try to understand love, and why it sometimes falls apart.
Story Locale: Dublin, Ireland; London, England

Hazel Hayes is an Irish-born, London-based writer and director who has, until now, been writing primarily for the screen. Having graduated from Dublin City University with a degree in journalism, she went on to study creative writing at the Irish Writers Centre before finally finding her feet online and honing her craft as a screenwriter through numerous short films and series. Her eight-part thriller, PrankMe, won Series of the Year at Social in the City, as well as the award for Excellence in Storytelling at Buffer Festival in Toronto. Out of Love is her first novel. When asked why she wanted to make the leap from thriller and horror to a love story, Hazel said she could think of nothing more horrific than love.