Hearts and Bones: Love Songs for Late Youth

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Description

In these eleven stories friendships strain, families break apart, love fades, love warps, and love endures. Moving between Ireland, London and the South of France, from the turn of the century to the present day, Niamh Mulvey asks in Hearts and Bones who we are now that we've brought the old gods down. Each of the stories is pulsing with vitality, immediacy and humanity, and from the first page, when we're introduced to an tense, charged mother-daughter reunion, the characters grab you by the heart and don't let you go. Witty, sharply observed, and often terribly moving, Hearts and Bones is the announcement of an extraordinary new Irish literary talent.

Reviews

These stories are vivid, memorable and beautifully crafted. I was delighted to discover Niamh Mulveys work. -- Sarah Moss, Sunday Times bestselling author of Summerwater
Astute, surprising and wholly entertaining . . . There is a rich wit at play, Mulvey is an adept practitioner * Irish Independent *
A brilliant collection, from a remarkable talent. These powerful stories come to us zinging with truth and wit, with pain and insight and joy -- Joseph O'Connor
Highly accomplished, inventive . . . What stands out is Mulvey's command of her own originality . . . Though a debut writer, Mulvey is coming in at a high level with a book that delivers much and promises more -- Rnn Hession * Irish Times *
Beautifully written . . . a striking, page-turning debut * Image *
Marvellous . . . A short and sweet debut collection brimming with poised assurance . . . Mulvey is an extremely talented writer * Business Post *
A hugely impressive debut that pivots on tiny moments rendered large, with such skill. Panoramic, precise, in controlled, stunning prose. -- Sinad Gleeson, author of Constellations
Gorgeous stories full of humour, insight and readability * Irish Examiner *
Honest, daringly fresh and stunningly written, these stories cut right to the very essence of what it means to be young -- Jan Carson, author of The Raptures
Niamh Mulvey's stories are compassionate yet unflinchingly honest. She is a remarkable new talent with a distinctive voice and viewpoint. I can't wait to read more of her work -- Jane Casey
Using crisp prose and, it seems, almost total recall, Niamh Mulvey's stories chronicle a changing Ireland. Hearts and Bones is a terrific debut collection from a writer full of promise -- Sinad Crowley, author of The Belladonna Maze
Mulvey's precision, humour and economy are a kind of close up magic, albeit one that kicks you in the heart. Monolithic themes brought to a shimmering, livid clarity. Exceptional -- Rhik Samadder
Closely observed, sparely told and deeply felt, the ten stories of Hearts and Bones will stay with you after you finish the book -- Ed O'Loughlin
In Hearts and Bones, Niamh Mulvey demonstrates that she is a brilliant anatomist of shame and longing. This is a book to relish -- Tomiwa Owolade

Author Bio

Niamh Mulvey is from Kilkenny, Ireland, and is now based in South London. Her short fiction has been published in The Stinging Fly, Banshee and Southword and was shortlisted for the Sen O'Faolin Prize for Short Fiction 2020.