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In sixteen sparkling stories, Jan Carson introduces us to worlds and characters that feel real enough to touch. All of life is here: the thrill of growing up, the grief when youth is over; first love, mature love, parenthood and loss – all shot through with profound compassion, warm wit, and boundless imagination.

In ‘A Certain Degree of Ownership’, a distracted couple on a beach fail to notice their baby crawl perilously towards the sea. In ‘Troubling the Water’, a rumour spreads at a public swimming pool and chaos ensues. In ‘Fair Play’ a dishevelled father loses his two sons in an adventure park.

Every so often, an irresistible suggestion of the other world will surprise and delight, reaffirming Carson as a thrillingly original and audacious talent, and making Quickly, While They Still Have Horses the perfect introduction for readers new to her work.

‘Utterly absorbing’ LISA MCINERNEY

‘Heart-rending, hilarious . . . it’s a belter’ LOUISE KENNEDY

‘Blistering…glorious…written from the guts and from the heart.’ LUCY CALDWELL

‘An original and exciting work that’s equal parts terrifying, hilarious and memorable.’ SUNDAY TIMES

It is late June in Ballylack. Hannah Adger anticipates eight long weeks’ reprieve from school, but when her classmate Ross succumbs to a violent and mysterious illness, it marks the beginning of a summer like no other.

As others fall ill, questions about what – or who – is responsible pitch the village into conflict and fearful disarray. Hannah is haunted by guilt as she remains healthy while her friends are struck down. Isolated and afraid, she prays for help.

Elsewhere in the village, tempers simmer, panic escalates and long-buried secrets threaten to emerge.

Bursting with Carson’s trademark wit, profound empathy and soaring imagination, The Raptures explores how tragedy can unite a small community – and tear it apart. At its heart is the extraordinary resilience of one young girl. As the world crumbles around her, she must find the courage to be different in a place where conforming feels like the only option available.

Darkly funny, highly inventive and deeply moving, The Raptures is an unmissable novel of 2022.

‘Original, terrifying, hilarious and memorable.’ SUNDAY TIMES IRELAND

‘An Agatha Christie-esque whodunnit, a dark supernatural mystery and an account of mass trauma…meticulously observed.’ GUARDIAN

When several children from the same village start succumbing to a mysterious illness, the quest to discover the cause has devastating and extraordinary consequences.

It is late June in Ballylack. Hannah Adger anticipates eight long weeks’ reprieve from school, but when her classmate Ross succumbs to a violent and mysterious illness, it marks the beginning of a summer like no other.

As others fall ill, questions about what – or who – is responsible pitch the village into conflict and fearful disarray. Hannah is haunted by guilt as she remains healthy while her friends are struck down. Isolated and afraid, she prays for help.

Elsewhere in the village, tempers simmer, panic escalates and long-buried secrets threaten to emerge.

Bursting with Carson’s trademark wit, profound empathy and soaring imagination, The Raptures explores how tragedy can unite a small community – and tear it apart. At its heart is the extraordinary resilience of one young girl. As the world crumbles around her, she must find the courage to be different in a place where conforming feels like the only option available.

Darkly funny, highly inventive and deeply moving, The Raptures is an unmissable novel of 2022

‘I gobbled up The Raptures . . . packed with wit and heart, and always utterly absorbing.’ LISA MCINERNEY

‘Utterly compulsive and gripping . . . Jan Carson is a true original. An absolute must read. Outstanding.’ ELAINE FEENEY

‘Heart-rending, hilarious . . . it’s a belter’ LOUISE KENNEDY

‘Blistering…glorious…written from the guts and from the heart.’ LUCY CALDWELL

‘One of the most exciting and original Northern Irish writers of her generation’ SUNDAY TIMES

Darkly funny, highly inventive and deeply moving, The Raptures is an unmissable novel of 2022

Readers love The Raptures:
***** ‘An incredibly original and compelling story set in a Protestant community during the Troubles in N.Ireland.’
***** ‘A beautiful story about religion, illness, death, grief, ghosts, growing up, belonging and family’
***** ‘I couldn’t put it down… Definitely one of the top books this year.’
***** ‘A very vivid picture of life in a religious community in rural Northern Ireland during the early 90s but in many ways it transcends its time and place… I gulped it down.’
***** ‘I loved everything about this book. The writing style, the characters, the humour. Best book I have read this year by a mile!’