Overview

Inspired by true events, this vivid and moving story of a young woman zookeeper and the elephant she's compelled to protect through the German blitz of Belfast during WWll speaks to not only the tragedy of the times, but also to the ongoing sectarian tensions that still exist in Northern Ireland today--perfect for readers of historical and literary fiction alike. Belfast, October 1940. Twenty-year-old zookeeper Hettie Quin arrives at the city docks in time to meet her new charge: an orphaned three-year-old Indian elephant named Violet. As Violet adjusts to her new solitary life in captivity and Hettie mourns the recent loss of her sister and the abandonment of her father, new storm clouds gather. A world war rages, threatening a city already reeling from escalating tensions between British Loyalists and those fighting for a free and unified Ireland. The relative peace is shattered by air-raid sirens on the evening of Easter Tuesday 1941. Over the course of the next five hours, hundreds of bombs rain down upon Belfast, claiming almost a thousand lives and decimating the city. Dodging the debris and carnage of the Luftwaffe attack, Hettie runs to the zoo to make sure that Violet is unharmed. The harrowing ordeal and ensuing aftermath set the pair on a surprising path that highlights the indelible, singular bond that often brings mankind and animals together during horrifying times. Inspired by a largely forgotten chapter of World War II, S. Kirk Walsh deftly renders the changing relationship between Hettie and Violet, and their growing dependence on each other for survival and solace. The Elephant of Belfast is a complicated and beguiling portrait of hope and resilience--and how love can sustain us during the darkest moments of our lives.

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9781665032230

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Reviews

Offering a distinctive slant among this year's strong World War II novels. -- Library Journal Sensitively rendered and finely drawn, this remarkable story, based on true events, is both uplifting and heartbreaking. -- Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author Walsh's debut is a stirring tale of grief, loss, and survival against the chaotic backdrop of the war and the IRA's actions...Fans of WWII fiction and historical fiction will enjoy this fresh take on the era. -- Bookllist The Elephant of Belfast is a lovely book about a fascinating piece of history, and its two heroines--animal and human--are enthralling and beautifully drawn. S. Kirk Walsh writes wonderfully about heartbreak both personal and historic. -- Elizabeth McCracken, author of Bowlaway The Elephant of Belfast is historical fiction at its finest--as readers we are transported to the past, yet the themes are timeless. -- Nina McConigley, author of Cowboys and East Indians The Elephant of Belfast is impeccably researched and thrillingly suspenseful. -- Louisa Hall, author of Trinity The Elephant of Belfast knocked me flat and picked me up, not just once but many times over the course of S. Kirk Walsh's deeply satisfying telling. There's so much life in these pages, life as well as death--we're in wartime Belfast, dear reader, and the Luftwaffe is dropping bombs--that I couldn't help but feel changed by the end, experienced. Only the best novels do that, and the very fine The Elephant of Belfast belongs in that rank. -- Ben Fountain, New York Times bestselling author A captivating and intimately felt novel. -- Lily Tuck, author of Heathcliff Redux A zoo in wartime Belfast and a young woman's fierce love for the elephant in her care come vividly to life in this beautiful, beguiling, and atmospheric debut novel. -- Dominic Smith, New York Times bestselling author Cinematic in scope and brimming with emotion, The Elephant of Belfast imagines the life of a young woman zookeeper who, in the wake of family tragedy, develops a strong bond with an Indian elephant under her care. With a tender portrait of one woman's persistence at its heart, this is a soaring work of historical imagination. -- Karen Olsson, author of The Weil Conjectures Walsh has written a novel of deep affection and knife-edge suspense. A brilliant debut. -- Margot Livesey, New York Times bestselling author Walsh delivers a turbulent portrait of life in a divided city...A unique perspective of a country at war and the lengths people will go for those they love. -- Kirkus Reviews

Walsh delivers a turbulent portrait of life in a divided city...A unique perspective of a country at war and the lengths people will go for those they love. -- Kirkus Reviews The story of a young woman's uncommon devotion and courage under fire. -- Lily Tuck, author of The Double Life of Liliane Sensitively rendered and finely drawn, this remarkable story, based on true events, is both uplifting and heartbreaking. -- Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author A lovely book about a fascinating piece of history, and its two heroines--animal and human--are enthralling and beautifully drawn. -- Elizabeth McCracken, author of Bowlaway Hettie's devotion to Violet forms the emotional core of this novel, which does an excellent job of recreating daily life in Belfast during WWII. Hettie and Violet's bond is one to treasure. -- Publishers Weekly

Author Information

S. Kirk Walsh lives in Austin, Texas, and her work has been widely published in the New York Times Book Review, Longreads, StoryQuarterly, Electric Literature, and other publications. The Elephant of Belfast is her first novel. Find out more at SKirkWalsh.com.

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