'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, Sinead 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, Sinead 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