Gavin McCrea's first novel, Mrs Engels (2015), was shortlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize and the Walter Scott Prize, and longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award. His second novel, The Sisters Mao (2021), received high acclaim internationally. His first work of non-fiction, Cells (2022), was chosen as a book of the year by The Observer , The Irish Times and the Irish Independent . His articles have appeared in The Paris Review , The Guardian , The Irish Times , The Dublin Review , Lithub and Catapult .