Hagstone

The sea is steady for now. The land readies itself. What can be done with the woman on the cliff?On a wild and rugged island cut off and isolated to some, artist Nell feels the island is her home. It is the source of inspiration for her art, rooted in landscape, folklore and the feminine. The mysterious Inions, a commune of women who have travelled there from all over the world, consider it a place of refuge and safety, of solace in nature.All the islanders live alongside the strange murmurings that seem to emanate from within the depths of the island, a sound that is almost supernatural – a Summoning as the Inions call it. One day, a letter arrives at Nell’s door from the reclusive Inions who invite Nell into the commune for a commission to produce a magnificent art piece to celebrate their long history. In its creation, Nell will discover things about the community and about herself that will challenge everything she thought she knew.Beautifully written, prescient and eerily haunting, Sinéad Gleeson’s fiction debut takes in the darker side of human nature and the mysteries of faith and the natural world. A novel from one of our most beloved literary voices, this is perfect for fans of Margaret Atwood and Sarah Moss.°°°SINÉAD GLEESON’s essay collection Constellations: Reflections from Life was a number one Irish bestseller. It won Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the 2019 Irish Book Awards and the Dalkey Literary Award for Emerging Writer, and was shortlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize, the James Tait Black Memorial Prize and the Michel Déon Prize. She is the editor of The Long Gaze Back: An Anthology of Irish Women Writers, The Glass Shore: Short Stories by Women Writers from the North of Ireland and The Art of the Glimpse: 100 Irish Short Stories. With Kim Gordon, Sinéad co-edited This Woman’s Work: Essays on Music. She lives in Dublin. 'Intelligent, probing' MAGGIE O'FARRELL 'Wild, singular... gripped me from the start' DOUGLAS STUART 'Passionate, wild, hugely atmospheric' DAVID NICHOLLS 'A gorgeous, mysterious read' AISLING BEA 'Wild, elemental... I adored it' LOUISE KENNEDY *A most anticipated 2024 debut in BBC, Daily Mail, Stylist, New Statesman, Sunday Independent, Irish Times, Irish Examiner, The Journal and The New European* The haunting debut novel from beloved, Irish no. 1 bestselling author, Sinéad Gleeson. The sea is steady for now. The land readies itself. What can be done with the woman on the cliff? On a wild and rugged island cut off and isolated to some, artist Nell feels the island is her home. It is the source of inspiration for her art, rooted in landscape, folklore and the feminine. The mysterious Inions, a commune of women who have travelled there from all over the world, consider it a place of refuge and safety, of solace in nature. All the islanders live alongside the strange murmurings that seem to emanate from within the depths of the island, a sound that is almost supernatural – a Summoning as the Inions call it. One day, a letter arrives at Nell's door from the reclusive Inions who invite Nell into the commune for a commission to produce a magnificent art piece to celebrate their long history. In its creation, Nell will discover things about the community and about herself that will challenge everything she thought she knew. Beautifully written, prescient and eerily haunting, Sinéad Gleeson's debut novel takes in the darker side of human nature and the mysteries of faith and the natural world. 'Original and captivating' BBC 'Startling, engrossing, darkly playful' RODDY DOYLE 'Wonderfully surprising and totally original' ELAINE FEENEY '[This] magnificent debut novel is that rare thing: a literary page-turner' JENNIFER HIGGIE The haunting debut novel from beloved, Irish no. 1 bestselling author, Sinad Gleeson. Wild, elemental I adored it LOUISE KENNEDY The sea is steady for now. The land readies itself. What can be done with the woman on the cliff? On a wild and rugged island cut off and isolated to some, artist Nell feels the island is her home. It is the source of inspiration for her art, rooted in landscape, folklore and the feminine. The mysterious Inions, a commune of women who have travelled there from all over the world, consider it a place of refuge and safety, of solace in nature. All the islanders live alongside the strange murmurings that seem to emanate from within the depths of the island, a sound that is almost supernatural a Summoning as the Inions call it. One day, a letter arrives at Nells door from the reclusive Inions who invite Nell into the commune for a commission to produce a magnificent art piece to celebrate their long history. In its creation, Nell will discover things about the community and about herself that will challenge everything she thought she knew. Beautifully written, prescient and eerily haunting, Sinad Gleeons fiction debut takes in the darker side of human nature and the mysteries of faith and the natural world. A novel from one of our most beloved literary voices, this is perfect for fans of Margaret Atwood and Sarah Moss. A wonderfully surprising and totally original novel from a compelling voice Elaine Feeney, author of How to Build a Boat 'Gleeson's magnificent debut novel is that rare a literary page-turner' Jennifer Higgie, author of The Other Side 'Startling, engrossing, darkly playful' Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha 'A brilliant, gripping novel' Sara Baume, author of A Line Made By Walking