Falling Animals: A BBC 2 Between the Covers Book Club Pick - Hardcover

Armstrong, Sheila

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1526635852 ISBN 13: 9781526635853

Publisher: Bloomsbury Circus, 2023

Synopsis

*A BBC 2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK*
*SHORTLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2024*

'Vivid, sensuous ... A subtle tale of loss, loneliness and disconnection'
PAUL LYNCH, IRISH INDEPENDENT

'Lush, lyrical and cleverly-constructed. A beautiful book'
LOUISE KENNEDY

'Beautifully written ... An unchained sea-melody of outsiders, pilgrims and castaways'
ANNE ENRIGHT

The disquieting story of an unidentified man as told by those who crossed paths with him on the last day of his life, Sheila Armstrong's debut novel is haunting, lyrical and darkly suspenseful

On an isolated beach set against a lonely, windswept coastline, a pale figure sits serenely against a sand dune staring out to sea. His hands are folded neatly in his lap, his ankles are crossed and there is a faint smile on his otherwise lifeless face.

Months later, after a fruitless investigation, the nameless stranger is buried in an unmarked grave. But the mystery of his life and death lingers on, drawing the nearby villagers into its wake. From strandings to shipwrecks, it is not the first time that strangeness has washed up on their shores.

Told through a chorus of voices, Falling Animals follows the crosshatching threads of lives both true and imagined, real and surreal, past and present. Slowly, over great time and distance, the story of one man, alone on a beach, begins to unravel. Elegiac and atmospheric, dark and disquieting, Sheila Armstrong's debut novel marks her arrival as one of the most uniquely gifted writers at work in literary fiction today.

Reader Reviews

'Beautifully written and gently catches the reader with its meditative prose and deep humanity'
'Such a beautiful book'
'Gorgeous wild setting and achingly recognisable characters'

About this title

About the Author

Sheila Armstrong is a writer from the north-west of Ireland. She is the author of How To Gut A Fish, a collection of short stories, and two novels, Falling Animals and The Red Mouth. Her work has been translated into over ten languages and nominated for the Irish Book Awards, the Society of Authors Awards, the Kate O'Brien Award, the Edge Hill Prize, the RSL Ondaatje Prize and the European Union Prize for Literature.

From the Back Cover

*A BBC 2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK *

'An immensely impressive debut from a major literary talent' JOSEPH O'CONNOR

'Lush, lyrical and cleverly-constructed. A beautiful book' LOUISE KENNEDY

The disquieting story of an unidentified man as told by those who crossed paths with him on the last day of his life, Sheila Armstrong's debut novel is haunting, lyrical and darkly suspenseful

On an isolated beach set against a lonely, windswept coastline, a pale figure sits serenely against a sand dune staring out to sea. His hands are folded neatly in his lap, his ankles are crossed and there is a faint smile on his otherwise lifeless face.

Months later, after a fruitless investigation, the nameless stranger is buried in an unmarked grave. But the mystery of his life and death lingers on, drawing the nearby villagers into its wake. From strandings to shipwrecks, it is not the first time that strangeness has washed up on their shores.

Told through a chorus of voices, Falling Animals follows the crosshatching threads of lives both true and imagined, real and surreal, past and present. Slowly, over great time and distance, the story of one man, alone on a beach, begins to unravel. Elegiac and atmospheric, dark and disquieting, Sheila Armstrong's debut novel marks her arrival as one of the most uniquely gifted writers at work in literary fiction today.

Reader Reviews

'Beautifully written and gently catches the reader with its meditative prose and deep humanity'
'Such a beautiful book'
'Gorgeous wild setting and achingly recognisable characters'

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Circus
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1526635852
• ISBN 13: 9781526635853
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240