Armstrong, Sheila – The Bell Bookshop

Falling animals

Emma — Thu, 04 Jul 2024 00:00:00 +0000

A BBC 2 BETWEEN THE COVERS BOOK CLUB PICK
SHORTLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE 2024
WATERSTONES IRISH BOOK OF THE MONTH JULY 2024

‘Vivid, sensuous … A subtle tale of loss, loneliness and disconnection‘
PAUL LYNCH, IRISH INDEPENDENT

‘Lush, lyrical and cleverly-constructed. A beautiful book’
LOUISE KENNEDY

‘Beautifully written … An unchained sea-melody of outsiders, pilgrims and castaways‘
ANNE ENRIGHT

The disquieting story of an unidentified man as told by those who crossed paths with him on the last day of his life, Sheila Armstrong’s debut novel is haunting, lyrical and darkly suspenseful

On an isolated, windswept beach, a pale figure sits serenely against a sand dune staring out to sea. His hands are folded neatly in his lap and there is a faint smile on his otherwise lifeless face. After months of fruitless investigation, the nameless stranger is buried in an unmarked grave, but the mystery of his life and death lingers on, drawing the nearby villagers into its wake.

From strandings to shipwrecks, it is not the first time that strangeness has washed up on their shores.

As a chorus of voices come together to unravel the story of one man, alone on a beach, a crosshatched portrait begins to emerge, threaded by lives both true and imagined, real and surreal, past and present.

Reader Reviews

‘Beautifully written and gently catches the reader with its meditative prose and deep humanity’
‘Such a beautiful book’
‘Gorgeous wild setting and achingly recognisable characters’

Falling animals

Emma — Thu, 25 May 2023 00:00:00 +0000

‘An immensely impressive debut from a major literary talent’ JOSEPH O’CONNOR, author of Shadowplay‘Lush, lyrical and cleverly-constructed. A beautiful book.’ Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses The disquieting story of an unidentified man as told by those who crossed paths with him on the last day of his life, Sheila Armstrong’s debut novel is haunting, lyrical and darkly suspensefulOn an isolated beach set against a lonely, windswept coastline, a pale figure sits serenely against a sand dune staring out to sea. His hands are folded neatly in his lap, his ankles are crossed and there is a faint smile on his otherwise lifeless face.Months later, after a fruitless investigation, the nameless stranger is buried in an unmarked grave. But the mystery of his life and death lingers on, drawing the nearby villagers into its wake. From strandings to shipwrecks, it is not the first time that strangeness has washed up on their shores.Told through a chorus of voices, Falling Animals follows the crosshatching threads of lives both true and imagined, real and surreal, past and present. Slowly, over great time and distance, the story of one man, alone on a beach, begins to unravel. Elegiac and atmospheric, dark and disquieting, Sheila Armstrong’s debut novel marks her arrival as one of the most uniquely gifted writers at work in literary fiction today. Reader Reviews ‘Beautifully written and gently catches the reader with its meditative prose and deep humanity’‘Such a beautiful book’‘Gorgeous wild setting and achingly recognisable characters’

How to gut a fish

Emma — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 00:00:00 +0000

LONGLISTED FOR THE EDGE HILL PRIZE 2022SHORTLISTED FOR SHORT STORY OF THE YEAR AT THE IRISH BOOK AWARDS 2022SHORTLISTED FOR ALCS TOM-GALLON TRUST AWARD‘Unsettling, unpredictable, and brilliant’ Roddy Doyle‘In sumptuous and evocative prose, Sheila Armstrong writes stories that are unnerving and unsettling. Stories which make you go, wait, wait, what was that? ‘ Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled GroundOn a boat offshore, a fisherman guts a mackerel as he anxiously awaits a midnight rendezvous.Villagers, one by one, disappear into a sinkhole beneath a yew tree.A nameless girl is taped, bound and put on display in a countryside market.A dazzling and disquieting collection of stories, how to gut a fish places the bizarre beside the everyday and then elegantly and expertly blurs the lines. An exciting new Irish writer whose sharp and lyrical prose unsettles and astounds in equal measure, Sheila Armstrong’s exquisitely provocative stories carve their way into your mind and take hold.‘Dark, devilishly well written and full of atmosphere, How to Gut a Fish is one of the most original and affecting short story collections I’ve read in years’ Jan Carson, author of The Fire Starters

How to Gut a Fish

Emma — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 00:00:00 +0000

‘Unsettling, unpredictable, and brilliant’ Roddy Doyle‘In sumptuous and evocative prose, Sheila Armstrong writes stories that are unnerving and unsettling. Stories which make you go, wait, wait, what was that? ‘ Claire Fuller, author of Unsettled GroundOn a boat offshore, a fisherman guts a mackerel as he anxiously awaits a midnight rendezvous.Villagers, one by one, disappear into a sinkhole beneath a yew tree.A nameless girl is taped, bound and put on display in a countryside market.A man returning home following the death of his mother finds something disturbing among her personal effects.A dazzling and disquieting collection of stories, how to gut a fish places the bizarre beside the everyday and then elegantly and expertly blurs the lines. An exciting new Irish writer whose sharp and lyrical prose unsettles and astounds in equal measure, Sheila Armstrong’s exquisitely provocative stories carve their way into your mind and take hold.‘Dark, devilishly well written and full of atmosphere, How to Gut a Fish is one of the most original and affecting short story collections I’ve read in years’ Jan Carson, author of The Fire Starters