The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Magee, Michael. Close to Home. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023.

Michael Magee's novel Close to Home is written from the protagonist Sean Maguire's first person point of view. Written in the past tense, the novel is set in Belfast, Ireland and traces Sean's attempts to reestablish himself after college in his hometown. The following summary abides by a linear mode of explanation.

Shortly after completing his English literature degree in Liverpool, Sean Maguire moved home to Belfast, the city where he grew up. He moved in with his childhood best friend Ryan in a squalid flat. Although the two did not have to pay rent because the landlord disappeared, the building had neither heat nor hot water and was covered in mold. In spite of these conditions, Sean made no attempts to relocate.

One night while at a house party, a group of posh partygoers began insulting Sean. They ridiculed him because of where he grew up and made assumptions about his father. Unable to control his temper, Sean attacked the perpetrator, a rich, scrawny kid named Daniel Jackson. The police showed up, took Sean's information, told him to go home, and promised to be in touch with him soon. Sean returned to the flat and tried to dismiss the incident from his mind.

After working at the bar one night, Sean went out drinking with Ryan and their mutual friend Finty. He then ran into his ex-girlfriend Mairéad Riley. When he went inside for another round, a group of people from the house party attacked Sean for hurting their friend Daniel.

Sean was forced to report to the police station. He learned that Daniel and his friends were bringing charges against him. Although he secured a lawyer, on the day of the trial, Sean received no sympathy from the judge. He was sentenced to 200 hours of community service and forced to pay a £600 fine. Sean struggled to understand what was happening. He had tried to make something of his life, but his current circumstances suggested otherwise.

Throughout Sean's time serving his community service hours, he had difficulty maintaining a job. He was fired from the bar where he worked. His applications to other bars and bookshops were rejected. Only a few shifts into his job at a place called Ollie's, Sean was fired for giving his friends free drinks.

Meanwhile, Sean and Mairéad continued spending time together. Although they kissed and had sex, their relationship did not advance any further. Then one night, Mairéad invited Sean to spend time with her friends from university. Although somewhat out of place, Sean enjoyed himself. He was reminded of who he wanted to be and the sorts of people with whom he could be friends. Then at a house party later, Mairéad's friends informed Sean that Mairéad was bi and that she was dating a girl named Julia.

After Mairéad moved away to Berlin, she and Sean kept in better touch. They talked on the phone often. Sean even sent her the new short story he had written. Mairéad was proud of him for returning to his passion and encouraged him to submit the piece. The friends also clarified their miscommunications and expressed their love for one another.

Sean was actively trying to establish his life. He eventually found himself a job at a coffee shop. With Mairéad's encouragement, he did not let his rejection letter from the magazine where he had sent his piece to discourage him. He tried to let go of his recent ruminations on his estranged father. He found his own apartment. He separated himself from Ryan and Finty and their unsustainable antics. He established healthy boundaries in his relationships with his older brother Anthony and his mother.