Writer, editor and broadcaster Sinéad Gleeson has announced her debut novel, with UK publishing house Fourth Estate set to release Hagstone in spring 2024.
Dubliner Gleeson is the author of the award-winning memoir, Constellations, and has edited a number of acclaimed anthologies, most recently This Woman's Work, an anthology of womens' writing on music. She is the former presenter of RTÉ Radio 1's The Book Show.
Hagstone promises to take in the darker side of human nature, the mysteries of faith and the power of the natural world.
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, which is 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 too, 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 to produce a magnificent art piece to celebrate their long history. In the course of its creation, Nell will discover things about the community and about herself that will challenge everything she thought she knew.
Describing the novel as 'Beautifully written, provocative and eerily haunting", 4th Estate Publishing Director Kishani Widyaratna calls Hagstone "a searing debut that masterfully summons both the mysterious power of the imagined island on which it is set and the restless characters who live in isolation there. Sinéad Gleeson is one of our most loved writers and literary advocates, and everyone at 4th Estate is over the moon to welcome her to the list. Hagstone will thrill fans old and new and we can't wait to share it with readers.'
"I'm unbelievably thrilled that 4th Estate are publishing my first novel," says Sinéad Gleeson, "not just because they publish some of my favourite writers, but I’m reunited with Kishani, whose patience, skill and expertise were so invaluable when we worked together on Constellations. I’m really excited for readers to meet Nell and the inhabitants of the island."
