Overview

‘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 Sinéad Gleeson’s essay collection 'Constellations: Reflections from Life' won Non-Fiction Book of the Year at the 2019 Irish Book Awards, and the Emerging Writer award at the 2020 Dalkey Literary Awards.

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Reviews

‘A wonderfully surprising and totally original novel from a compelling voice’ Elaine Feeney, author of How to Build a Boat

‘A wonderfully surprising and totally original novel from a compelling voice’ Elaine Feeney, author of How to Build a Boat ‘An intelligent, probing novel about isolation, art, and the incompatible desires for both solitude and community’ Maggie O’Farrell, author of Hamnet 'I felt that I was in a great folk horror film. I wasn't just watching it; I was in it. It is a startling, engrossing, darkly playful novel' Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha 'A mingling of mystery, folklore, sci-fi and self-discovery, Hagstone is an entirely original tale that left me haunted and moved. I loved it.' Jennifer Higgie, author of The Other Side 'A brilliant, gripping novel' Sara Baume, author of A Line Made By Walking ‘Tender and inclusive, fierce and unapologetic. A portrait of the myriad and often conflicting desires that burn within the deep, hot core of women’ Sue Rainsford, author of Redder Days 'A beautiful, unsettling novel about the possibility of a woman crafting the shape of her own life, and the eternal connections we all have to the earth, sea and sky' Rebecca Tamas, author of Strangers ‘Such a beautiful read’ Cosey Fanny Tutti, author of Art Sex Music ‘I loved this beautiful, eerie novel' Patrick Freyne, author of OK, Let's Do Your Stupid Idea ‘A wildly seductive, gothic feminine tale of the sea, art, folklore, the past, women, power and more. I am bereft now I’ve finished it’ Kerri ní Dochartaigh, author of Thin Places ‘I sometimes found myself holding my breath, as if under water, as I read this brilliant novel’ Sally Huband, author of Sea Bean

‘Wild, elemental and brimming with ideas and intelligence, Hagstone feels both ancient and very modern. I adored it’ Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses ‘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 thing: a literary page-turner. Against the backdrop of a remote Irish island, Gleeson has conjured a world in which a group of richly drawn characters search for meaning in art and love, religion and nature. A mingling of mystery, folklore, sci-fi and self-discovery, Hagstone is an entirely original tale that left me haunted and moved. I loved it.' Jennifer Higgie, author of The Other Side 'There were times as I read HAGSTONE when I felt that I was in a great folk horror film. I wasn't just watching it; I was in it. It is a startling, engrossing, darkly playful novel.' Roddy Doyle, author of Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha 'A brilliant, gripping novel that explores the internal conflict of every artist – human relationships versus work; the urge to participate in society versus the urge to opt out' Sara Baume, author of A Line Made By Walking

Praise for Sinéad Gleeson ‘Gleeson has changed the Irish literary landscape’ Anne Enright, author of Actress ‘Utterly magnificent. Raw, thought-provoking and galvanising’ Eimear McBride, author of A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing ‘Glitteringly brilliant … Political, poetic, tender and angry … remarkable’ Robert Macfarlane, author of The Lost Words ‘Outstanding … wide-ranging, intimate and expressive’ Observer ‘Wise and compassionate’ Kit de Waal, author of My Name is Leon ‘Astonishing, brilliant and beautiful’ Kate Mosse, author of Labyrinth

‘Wild, elemental and brimming with ideas and intelligence, Hagstone feels both ancient and very modern. I adored it’ Louise Kennedy, author of Trespasses ‘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 thing: a literary page-turner. Against the backdrop of a remote Irish island, Gleeson has conjured a world in which a group of richly drawn characters search for meaning in art and love, religion and nature. A mingling of mystery, folklore, sci-fi and self-discovery, Hagstone is an entirely original tale that left me haunted and moved. I loved it.' Jennifer Higgie, author of The Other Side

Author Information

Sinead Gleeson's debut essay collection Constellations: Reflections from Life (Picador) won Non-Fiction Book of the Year at 2019 Irish Book Awards and in 2020 was shortlisted for the Dalkey Literary Award, the Rathbones Folio Prize and the Michel Deon Prize. Her short stories have featured in several anthologies including Being Various: New Irish Short Stories (Faber, 2019) and Repeal the 8th. She has edited the award-winning anthologies The Long Gaze Back: An Anthology of Irish Women Writers and The Glass Shore: Short Stories by Women Writers from the North of Ireland, and is currently working on a novel.

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