Mary Watson is from Cape Town and now lives on the west coast of Ireland. She’s worked as an art museum guide, library assistant, theatre duty manager, and an actor in children’s musicals. She has a PhD from the University of Cape Town where she taught for many years. She won the Caine Prize and the Philida Award, and her YA novels have been nominated for the Irish Book Awards and the Carnegie Medal. The Cleaner is her worldwide adult debut.