[1] The third and youngest child of Irish politician and diplomat Conor Cruise O'Brien and Christine Foster,[1] she was born in Dublin, and grew up in Howth.
Christine's father, Alec Foster, was headmaster of Belfast Royal Academy, and played international rugby for Ireland and the British and Irish Lions.
Unable to find a teaching post she started a small nursery for the children of working mothers.
[1] Her first book, A Gift Horse, a collection of short stories, won her the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature.
She later became a literary editor with the Poolbeg Press, and became well known for her canny knack for uncovering new talent.