The river capture - Mary Costello

A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE IRISH TIMES and IRISH INDEPENDENT

Shortlisted for Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards
Shortlisted for Novel of the Year, Dalkey Literary Awards
Shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award

Luke O'Brien has left Dublin to live a quiet life on his family land on the bend of the River Sullane. Alone in his big house, he longs for a return to his family's heyday and turns to books for solace.

One morning a young woman arrives at his door and enters his life with profound consequences. Her presence presents him and his family with an almost impossible dilemma.

In a novel that pays glorious homage to Joyce, The River Capture tells of one man's descent into near madness, and the possibility of rescue. This is a novel about love, loyalty and the raging forces of nature. More than anything, it is a book about the life of the mind and the redemptive powers of art.