The Spinning Heart: A Novel

Winner of the Irish Book Award • Finalist for the Booker Prize

A stunning new paperback edition of the author of The Queen of Dirt Island's poignant debut novel, capturing the madness, anguish, and compassion of a working-class community in contemporary rural Ireland.

“One of my favorite Irish books . . . Moving, atmospheric and beautiful.” —Tana French

Irish Book of the Decade (Dublin Book Festival) • First Book Award (The Guardian) • “Newcomer of the Year” and “Book of the Year” (Irish Book Award) • “Best Book of the Year” (Library Journal)

Set in the wake of Ireland’s devastating financial collapse following its Celtic Tiger boom, The Spinning Heart explores the fractured lives of a rural community left reeling by the sudden closure of a once-thriving construction firm. As the community grapples with vanishing jobs and crumbling livelihoods, tensions escalate, and a shocking act of violence ripples through the town, forcing each character to confront uncomfortable truths about themselves and each other.

Wry, vulnerable, and profoundly moving, The Spinning Heart is at its core a story about identity—how people present themselves to the world, and the inner truths they conceal. The narrative unfolds through a chorus of 21 distinct voices, capturing the language and spirit of rural Ireland with uncanny perception and articulating the thoughts and anxieties of a generation.

Opening with a foreword from Donal Ryan himself, this new paperback edition of his breathtaking debut novel is a darkly humorous, quietly tragic, and deeply compassionate portrait of a society in crisis.