Following a near-death experience as a child, the narrator becomes cursed with the ability to foresee the deaths of the people closest to him. These visions come to him in his dreams and, following a disastrous attempt to save a childhood friend from drowning, a set of terrifying events begins to unfold. As a young man, he finds redemption in the arms of Ashling, his beautiful wife. But then the visions return...
This is a story about one man's struggle to live an ordinary life in extraordinary circumstances; about love lost and found and the vast range of emotions that can be weathered by the human heart. This is a story where dreams come true but where dreams can turn into nightmares; a place where true love will prevail and where death is only the beginning.
Set in the fictional Dublin suburb of Rathgorman CONFESSIONS OF A FALLEN ANGEL is a truly remarkable debut novel that will grip you from the first line and surprise you to the last.
About the Author ~ Ronan O'Brien
Ronan O'Brien is a solicitor who specialises in criminal law. He is originally from Dublin but now lives in County Kildare. Confessions of a Fallen Angel is his first book.
Exclusive Amazon.co.uk Interview with Ronan O'Brien
What is Confessions of a Fallen Angel about?
Confessions of a Fallen Angel is about a boy who has a near-death experience one day during a football game. He brings something back with him from the afterlife and finds himself cursed with the ability to foresee the deaths of the people closest to him. These visions follow him into adulthood and after some disastrous attempts to thwart destiny, he is ultimately left with the dilemma of having to decide whether or not he should try to save a little girl that he has grown to love.
What inspired you to write it?
After studying the ancient Greek myths at school, I became fascinated by the concept of destiny and the idea that whatever path we decide to take with our lives, may in fact be preordained and the element of free will is no more than an illusion.
Who are your literary influences?
I love authors who can make me laugh and cry with the same book but unfortunately a lot of authors tend to shy away from comedy. My literary heroes would be Nick Hornby, Roddy Doyle, J.D. Salinger, Irvine Welsh and Jonathan Tropper, who I discovered recently.
If you could recommend just one "must-read book" to anyone, what would it be and why?
Without the slightest hesitation, I would recommend A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. It is a comic masterpiece with a truly unforgettable narrator who manages to be as awful as he is lovable.
What top tips do you have for anyone looking to write their first book?
Writing is all about discipline, so set yourself a realistic number of hours to put in, or words to write, every week, and then don’t stop until you’ve finished the first draft. When you get to that point, go back to the beginning and start on the second draft. When you’ve finished the second draft, get some constructive criticism from friends whose opinion you trust, and then work on a third draft. The book has to be polished to a very high standard before any agent will give serious consideration to a manuscript.
Reviews for Confessions of a Fallen Angel
Confessions of a Fallen Angel is a fresh, highly original debut by a writer not afraid to take on the bigger issues of life. Fate and love in their many guises stalk these pages, as well as a man who, like the hero in a Greek tragedy, rails against the destiny mapped out to him, trying only to safeguard what he holds dear. It will grip you from the first paragraph. Maggie O’Farrell
Told in a lively Dublin vernacular...author Ronan O’Brien has a fine sense of drama, marrying the minutiae of everyday life to the extraordinary, with spirited aplomb. Daily Mail
Spooky, magical and engrossing. Elle
This thrilling tale will keep you reading long into the night. New Woman
Part tender, idiosyncratic story about love and redemption, part black comedy Confessions of a Fallen Angel shows great promise.Metro
