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A poignant and immersive read, Falling Animals so deftly pitches you into the head of each character you'll lose yourself in this book. I too was thinking of Reservoir 13 as I was reading your review which has really piqued my interest. Each of the chapters did an excellent job of fully realising the different perspectives of the villagers. It is a novel of rare artistry and elegance, a really unique and sublime experience, one not to be missed!
Vaak zijn dit eenzame, stugge mensen waar slechts af en toe een glimpje menselijkheid aan af te lezen is. I realize I've quoted excessively from the novel, but in the end I wanted to highlight the writing primarily, the words themselves; Sheila Armstrong should be commended for weaving a tale—no matter how spectrally it avoids our grasp at times, loose ends forever untied, roads not followed—from such bountiful materials. I don't think my explanation is helping much to sell the book which is a shame because it is beautiful, poetic, sad, lyrical and utterly absorbing.That had a touch of the surreal about it which I half expected from Falling Animals, given it’s slightly disconcerting, rather lovely cover, but Armstrong’s novel is not at all fantastical. I really cannot even begin to describe the quality of the writing as it haunts, provokes, evokes, and stimulates the mind. A debut novel already receiving great plaudits and all very much deserved, Falling Animals is quite unlike anything I have read before. This is a book that is very different to what I was expecting, and wildly different to anything I have read before.
The _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. She is the author of two books: How To Gut A Fish (2022), a collection of short stories, and Falling Animals (2023), her debut novel.It spans a year in which the authorities try to trace the identity of a corpse found on an Irish beach one August morning. Sat cross legged staring out at sea, his identity is a mystery but while this may be the opening of the story it is not it’s beginning. A wondrous commingling of characters - variously lost, broken, misplaced, striving, reaching - seamlessly bound together by a singular event. I was delighted to spot Sheila Armstrong’s first novel in the publishing schedules having been so impressed with her short story collection, How to Gut a Fish.
Een eenvoudige zaak van een vermist persoon, maar ze hadden het lichaam – het was de persoon zelf die ontbrak. Each chapter is from a different character's viewpoint, and just as their lives intersect, crossing back and forth with a staggering attention to detail, we learn more of our mystery man. The next morning, the sea is flat and cool, like a drunk embarrassed by his antics the night before.A series of beautifully written short stories that capture the magic of nature and the essence of individuality that the author skilfully melds together in a cleverly told seamless whole. This was their book club selection for the month and I wish I was still there to discuss this very interesting mystery. Against the backdrop of a shipwreck off a remote coast of Ireland, we are given a glimpse into the minds and lives of various characters who are connected to it in some way over different time periods. She is proud of him, fiercely, maddeningly proud; her love throbs beside him at night and he feels the heat of it every morning, even after all these years.
The still-living carry those parts around with them: kind words and gentle skin-touches and sweet, sweet tears.
The stunning cover on Falling Animals will surely have readers picking this up off the shelves, but dive into this story, and you'll not be disappointed.
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