Jan Carson is a writer and community arts facilitator based in Belfast. Her first novel, Malcolm Orange Disappears, was published in 2014 to critical acclaim, followed by a short story collection, Children’s Children (2016), and a flash fiction anthology, Postcard Stories (2017). Her work has appeared in numerous journals and on BBC Radio 3 and 4. In 2016 she won the Harper’s Bazaar short story competition and was shortlisted for the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize. She specializes in running arts projects and events with older people, especially those living with dementia. The Fire Starters is her second novel.
Placeholders (2024) James Roseman "Humane, heartfelt and beautifully observed. Roseman raises huge questions about identity, belonging and family, excelling in his depiction of the small, everyday exchanges which make or break a relationship. A quietly, powerful novel, from a writer I'm keen to keep my eye on."
Heart, Be at Peace (2024) Donal Ryan "This is Donal Ryan at his most assured, moving deftly between voices, fully inhabiting every character, breaking his poor readers' hearts. Every chapter's a tiny epic. Every sentence seems to sing. Ryan's writing is both of the moment and utterly timeless in its ability to capture the essence of what it means to be alive, to love, to grieve and cling to hope."
Moderate to Poor, Occasionally Good (2024) Eley Williams "Eley Williams is a visionary writer. She does things with words most writers can only dream about. Reading Williams makes me want to up my game as a writer. Each story is a multi-layered, kaleidoscopic exploration of a moment. Williams writes with both buoyancy and tremendous weight."
Crooked Seeds (2024) Karen Jennings "Deidre's the kind of character who gets under your skin: furious, flawed, and utterly unique. Jennings writes about broken people with unflinching honesty and deep compassion. This is a quietly devastating novel."
Falling Animals (2023) Sheila Armstrong "A poignant and immersive read, Falling Animals so deftly pitches you into the head of each character you'll lose yourself in this book. Armstrong writes complex and troubling stories with such unflinching graciousness her characters are desperately humane and easy to empathise with. A stunning first novel from one of Ireland's most intriguing new voices."
How to Build a Boat (2023) Elaine Feeney "How to Build a Boat is a gentle tsunami of a novel, so beautifully and tenderly crafted you don't even notice you're being swept along. It gets right to the heart of what it means to be broken and searching for community. I can't wait for readers to fall in love with Jamie's refreshingly sideways take on life."
The Midnight News (2023) Jo Baker "The Midnight News approaches the story of the Blitz from a completely fresh angle. Both a captivating mystery and a moving insight into one woman's experience, this book is a deeply immersive read. Baker is a master at evoking place and time in an incredibly personal, intimate way. A novel you won't forget easily."
Juno Loves Legs (2023) Karl Geary "Karl Geary writes devastatingly beautiful novels. Juno and Legs will break your heart in the very best way and leave you laughing in spite of yourself. It's a perfectly drawn portrait of lives lived boldly on the edge of disaster. A backstreet epic. I literally couldn't put it down."
Seven Empty Houses (2022) Samanta Schweblin "Samanta Schweblin writes at the very end of the possible. Her stories are mesmerising, exquisitely crafted and deeply unsettling. Each sentence is as precise and invasive as an expertly wielded scalpel."
Common Decency (2022) Susannah Dickey "Susannah Dickey has an uncanny ability to get right to the dark heart of her characters, blending acidic observation with a generous side of kindness. Common Decency is sharp as tacks, extremely funny and deeply moving. This novel is very good company."
Hearts and Bones (2022) Niamh Mulvey "Honest, daringly fresh and stunningly written, these stories cut right to the very essence of what it means to be young."
Factory Girls (2022) Michelle Gallen "A wee novel with an enormous, furious heart . . . Honest, hilarious and such a recognisable portrait of 90s Northern Ireland, Factory Girls is an essential read."
This World Does Not Belong to Us (2022) Natalia Garcia Freire "A deliciously menacing read which I just couldn't put down. Every word punches hard. This World Does Not Belong to Us treads the fine line between beauty and horror effortlessly."
These Days (2022) Lucy Caldwell "A captivating novel exploring a lesser known chapter of Northern Ireland's story. Caldwell has managed to capture the spirit and tenacity of the Belfast I know and love. This is a novel which looks suffering straight in the eye and yet will leave you full of hope."
Dinner Party (2021) Sarah Gilmartin "Gilmartin has a forensic eye for the little moments and mumbled asides which reveal both her character's faults and strengths. She writes sharply and cleanly but always with a degree of compassion."
Grown Ups (2021) Marie Aubert "One of the best novels about singleness, siblings and approaching middle age I've ever read."
Mother Mother (2021) Annie Macmanus "A brave and occasionally heartbreaking portrait of a family falling apart and the woman who's been holding them all together for far too long. Macmanus' debut novel is assured, evocative and, like her characters, full of gentle strength."
Redder Days (2021) Sue Rainsford "Lyrical, hypnotic and provocative, I devoured Redder Days in a single, slightly furious sitting and have been haunted by it ever since."
Hot Stew (2021) Fiona Mozley "Hot Stew reads like a great night out in a city that never sleeps."
We Are Not in The World (2021) Conor O'Callaghan "A sad and stunning meditation on love, grief and long haul driving. This is a novel about distance and closeness which explores those bonds which exist between people long after they leave each other behind. O'Callaghan's prose is shot through with poetry. He has an uncanny ability to turn the seemingly insignificant into something monumental."
Here is the Beehive (2020) Sarah Crossan "A beautifully crafted sucker punch of a read. Sarah Crossan has always had an exquisite way with words and in this she uses poetic prose to craft an honest and oftentimes gritty exploration of two intertwined marriages, slowly unravelling. Painfully believable, passionate and occasionally heartbreaking, Here is the Beehive provides further proof that Sarah Crossan is an infinitely gifted writer. We're lucky to have her."
The Wild Laughter (2020) Caoilinn Hughes "The Wild Laughter is a stunning piece of writing. Hughes' sentences are so well-crafted I read many of them several times and discovered fresh layers with each read. Her dialogue is razor sharp and shot through with Beckett-esque black humour. The characters are perfectly drawn. A strong and early contender for Irish novel of the year."
The Butchers (2020) Ruth Gilligan "A remarkable novel. Gilligan paints a disturbing portrait of rural Ireland which is both modern and ancient, firmly grounded in the realistic and hauntingly otherworldly."
