The Abstainer

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Truly terrific'Richard Ford
'Dickens for the twenty-first century'Roddy Doyle
'A powerful, gripping tale'Sunday Times

A man hanging on by a thread.
A city about to snap.

From the acclaimed author ofThe North Watercomes an epic story of revenge and obsession.

Manchester, 1867

Two men, haunted by their pasts.
Driven by the need for justice.

Blood begets blood.
In a fight for life and legacy.

Stephen Doyle arrives in Manchester from New York. He is an Irish-American veteran of the Civil War and a member of the Fenians, a secret society intent on ending British rule in Ireland, by any means necessary. Now he has come to seek vengeance.

James O'Connor has fled grief and drink in Dublin for a sober start in Manchester as Head Constable. His mission is to discover and thwart the Fenians plans. When his long-lost nephew arrives on his doorstep, he never could have foreseen how this would imperil his fragile new life or how his and Doyle's fates would come to be intertwined.

The rebels will be hanged at dawn, and their brotherhood is already plotting revenge.



Praise forThe North Water, longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2016

Brilliant, fast-paced, gripping.A tour de forceof narrative tension and a masterful reconstruction of a lost worldHilary Mantel

Utterly convincing and compellingA startling achievementMartin Amis

Riveting and darkly brilliant McGuire hasan extraordinary talentColm Toibin

Hasexceptional power and energySunday Times

Astunningnovel that snares the reader from the outset and keepsthe tightest gripuntil the bitter endFinancial Times

Avividread,full of twists, turns, period detail and strong charactersThe Times

Terrific McGuires use of the pitiless, fearsomely beautiful Arctic landscape as a theatre for enduring questions is inspiredDaily Mail

McGuire has a sure and unwavering toucha writer of exceptional craft and confidenceIrish Times

Reviews

'Unforgettable... McGuire's portrait of two men locked in a grisly, vengeful dance with each other is masterly'The Times
The book is written with the vividness and economy of a screenplay, unfolding through a series of sharply observed scenes full of cliffhangers, misdirection and reverses. Its lovely, rhythmic prose evokes the stinks of the Victorian city, its factories, rat-baiting arenas and slaughterhouses. [] McGuire does everything well: evoking the pungent atmosphere of a teeming industrial city, recreating the period in a way that resonates with our own time without seeming preachy, and writing sharp dialogue that crackles with subtext Guardian
'McGuire once again crafts compelling and disturbing fiction, rich with atmosphere and carried firmly by a galloping plot'New Statesman
'A powerful, gripping tale'Sunday Times
'The blend of politics, personal tragedy and revenge is moreishly compelling. The books powerful setting is almost a character in itself... The physical world that [McGuire] imagines assails the readers senses: the stink of a tannery, the clangour of factory bells and the way OConnors grief drives him to a ruthlessness beyond his nature'The Economist
'This carefully researched novel is gripping, touching and quietly devastating'Sunday Express
'The Abstainertells a story of people trapped by class, a simmering revolution, and their own frailty, but its ultimately a very human and compelling novel that gives us a clear glimpse into the hearts and souls of its characters. McGuire is a writer who isnt afraid to take risks and change course from his previous books.'Philipp Meyer, author ofThe Son
The Abstaineris truly terrific a can't-put-down book. It's no less than a tight 'n spare 'n suspense-fillednoirnovel, masterfully set in 1860s Britain and America. And like all superb historical novels, it seems as modern and as contemporary as this morning. Richard Ford
McGuire has crafted a riveting tale of violence and retribution against the backdrop of the 1860s Fenian rebellion precursor to the Troubles and one of those rich historical incidentsyou learn about and wonder,Why didn't I know about this beforeHe has a keen sense of how to mix precise local details with transcendent global themes. Michael Punke, Author of The Revenant
'This is Dickens in the present tense, Dickens for the twenty-first century.'Roddy Doyle,New York Times Book Review
'The Abstainersucceeds in keeping the reader tense and uneasy, much like the polluted, portentous air hanging over Manchester. Thebrooding and lyrically written cat-and-mouse narrativeof Doyle and OConnor is excellent.If the reader is lookingfor a taut tale exploring the brutal vagaries of mens hearts,The Abstaineris a provocative novel that invites further discovery of a troubled time.'Historical Novels Review
'OConnors showdown with Stephen Doyle delivers agut-wrenchingfinale that will leave readers hoping desperately that McGuire (The North Water, 2016) has an OConnor prequel in the works. OConnorspalpable alienation and the subtly drawn comparisons between the Irish insurgency and Americas then-recent civil war create layers of depth in this exceptional period thriller.'Booklist
'[A]taut, atmospheric tale... McGuire demonstratesa mastery of classic realism. [This] crackling work is one to savour.'Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Ian McGuire grew up near Hull and studied at the University of Manchester and the University of Virginia, USA. In 2007 he co-founded the University of Manchester's Centre for New Writing. He is the author of Incredible Bodies and the 2016 Man Booker-longlisted novel, The North Water, for which he won the Royal Society of Literature's Encore Award. The Abstainer is his third novel.