IRISH LUCK, CHINESE MEDICINE

Spanning cultures, crises, and continents, Irish Luck, Chinese Medicine explores the questions that still resonate today: Who belongs? Who is allowed to dream? And what happens when two people from vastly different worlds choose to build a life together?

In a young nation shaped by the Catholic Church, political unrest, and rapid industrial change, Johanna Kennedy and En Chang cross oceans to chase the promise of America. What they find instead is a harsh world where immigrants are distrusted, laborers are expendable, and families must fight to stay whole.

Joined first by necessity and later by a growing trust, Johanna and En learn to navigate the dangers surrounding them—racial and ethnic prejudice, violence in the mining towns, and the fragility of love inside a life defined by hardship.

Drawing inspiration from the author’s own Irish heritage. A powerful, unforgettable story of resilience, identity, and the families we create for ourselves.

From Kirkus Review

Matthews powerful writing masterfully blending history and fiction. A resonant novel for any reader who knows what it is to build a life in a new, sometimes unfriendly, place.

A line in the prologue, “Grief is love with nowhere to go,” truly seems to set the theme for from Matthews’ novel.

Molly Mahoney Matthews is a writer whose work blends curiosity about history, culture, and human connection.

A lifelong storyteller, her fiction explores themes of identity, resilience, family bonds, and cross-cultural understanding—rooted in research and an interest in bringing overlooked histories to life.

Before turning to fiction, Molly built a marketing and communications company. She lives with her husband and two dogs, Maisie and Mr. Darcy, in Maryland and Florida.