Irish novelist whose works deal with political and cultural tensions in Ireland, with an emphasis on the problems of the Anglo-Irish. Rich in dialogue, Johnston's novels often concern interpersonal relationships and the difficult transition from childhood to adulthood.

Johnston, whose father was a playwright, was educated at Trinity College, Dublin. Her first published book, The Captains and the Kings (1972), was actually written after The Gates (1973); both novels feature the Anglo-Irish setting of a decaying manor house. Johnston's third novel, How Many Miles to Babylon? (1974), concerns the complex and tragic friendship of two young men who are sentenced to death during World War I. Shadows on Our Skin (1977) and The Railway Station Man (1984) focus on violence in Northern Ireland, and The Old Jest (1979; filmed as The Dawning, 1988) and Fool's Sanctuary (1987) are set during the emergence of modern Ireland in the 1920s. The protagonist of The Christmas Tree (1981) attempts to salvage her troubled life before it is cut short by leukemia. Johnston's other novels include The Invisible Worm (1991), The Illusionist (1995), Two Moons (1998), This Is Not a Novel (2002), and Foolish Mortals (2007). She also wrote short stories and plays, such as Three Monologues: Twinkletoes; Mustn't Forget High Noon; Christine (1995) and The Desert Lullaby: A Play in Two Acts (1996).