Hagstone

(Paperback)

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'Passionate, wild, hugely atmospheric' DAVID NICHOLLS

Wild, elemental I adored it LOUISE KENNEDY

Intelligent, probing MAGGIE O'FARRELL

'Wonderfully gothic [a] cracking debut' DOUGLAS STUART
The haunting debut novel from beloved, Irish no. 1 bestselling author, Sinad Gleeson.

The sea is steady for now. The land readies itself. What can be done with the woman on the cliff

On a wild and rugged island cut off and isolated to some, artist Nell feels the island is her home. It is the source of inspiration for her art, rooted in landscape, folklore and the feminine. The mysterious Inions, a commune of women who have travelled there from all over the world, consider it a place of refuge and safety, of solace in nature.

All the islanders live alongside the strange murmurings that seem to emanate from within the depths of the island, a sound that is almost supernatural a Summoning as the Inions call it. One day, a letter arrives at Nells door from the reclusive Inions who invite Nell into the commune for a commission to produce a magnificent art piece to celebrate their long history. In its creation, Nell will discover things about the community and about herself that will challenge everything she thought she knew.

Beautifully written, prescient and eerily haunting, Sinad Gleesons fiction debut takes in the darker side of human nature and the mysteries of faith and the natural world. A novel from one of our most beloved literary voices, this is perfect for fans of Margaret Atwood and Sarah Moss.

Wonderfully surprising and totally original Elaine Feeney, author of How to Build a Boat

'Gleeson's magnificent debut novel is that rare thing: a literary page-turner' Jennifer Higgie, author of The Other Side

'Startling, engrossing, darkly playful' Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha

'A brilliant, gripping novel' Sara Baume, author of A Line Made By Walking

Reviews

'A passionate, wild, hugely atmospheric and enjoyable debut from such an original voice' David Nicholls, author of You Are Here

An intelligent, probing novel about isolation, art, and the incompatible desires for both solitude and community Maggie OFarrell, author of Hamnet

'Wonderfully gothic Much like the heroine, this is a wild, singular story that gripped me from the start' Douglas Stuart, author of Young Mungo

'I felt that I was in a great folk horror film a startling, engrossing, darkly playful novel' Roddy Doyle, author of Love

Wild, elemental I adored it Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses

Totally original Elaine Feeney, author of How to Build a Boat

Wonderful and captivating a beautiful read Cosey Fanny Tutti, author of Art Sex Music

'A brilliant, gripping novel' Sara Baume, author of Seven Steeples

'Mesmerising and haunting' Emilie Pine, author of Ruth & Pen

'Left me haunted and moved' Jennifer Higgie, author of The Other Side

Fierce and unapologetic Sue Rainsford, author of Redder Days

'A beautiful, unsettling novel about the possibility of a woman crafting the shape of her own life' Rebecca Tamas, author of Strangers

I loved this beautiful, eerie novel' Patrick Freyne, author of OK, Let's Do Your Stupid Idea

Wildly seductive I am bereft now Ive finished it Kerri n Dochartaigh, author of Thin Places

A brilliant portrayal of the wild intensity of small island life Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean

Author Bio

Sinead Gleeson's debut essay collection Constellations: Reflections from Life (Picador) won Non-Fiction Book of the Year at 2019 Irish Book Awards and in 2020 was shortlisted for the Dalkey Literary Award, the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Michel Deon Prize. Her short stories have featured in several anthologies including Being Various: New Irish Short Stories (Faber, 2019) and Repeal the 8th. She has edited the award-winning anthologies The Long Gaze Back: An Anthology of Irish Women Writers and The Glass Shore: Short Stories by Women Writers from the North of Ireland, and is currently working on a novel.