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

Armstrong, Sheila

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1526635879 ISBN 13: 9781526635877

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024

Synopsis

A BBC 2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK
SHORTLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2024
WATERSTONES IRISH BOOK OF THE MONTH JULY 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, windswept beach, a pale figure sits serenely against a sand dune staring out to sea. His hands are folded neatly in his lap and there is a faint smile on his otherwise lifeless face. After months of 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.

As a chorus of voices come together to unravel the story of one man, alone on a beach, a crosshatched portrait begins to emerge, threaded by lives both true and imagined, real and surreal, past and present.

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 and editor from the north-west of Ireland. How to Gut a Fish, her first collection of short stories, was shortlisted for the Kate O'Brien Award and longlisted for the Edge Hill Prize. Falling Animals, her debut novel, was chosen for BBC2's Between The Covers Book Club and shortlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize.

From the Back Cover

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, windswept beach, a pale figure sits serenely against a sand dune staring out to sea. His hands are folded neatly in his lap and there is a faint smile on his otherwise lifeless face. After months of 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.

As a chorus of voices come together to unravel the story of one man, alone on a beach, a crosshatched portrait begins to emerge, threaded by lives both true and imagined, real and surreal, past and present.

'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

Edition details

• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Publication date: 2024
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1526635879
• ISBN 13: 9781526635877
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240