Winner of the Guardian First Book Award 2013 Shortlisted for the Dublin IMPAC Literary Award 2014 Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 2013 Winner of Book of the Year at the Irish Book Awards 2012" My father still lives back the road past the weir in the cottage I was reared in I go there every day to see is he dead & every day he lets me down He hasn't yet missed a day of letting me down" In the aftermath of Ireland's financial collapse dangerous tensions surface in an Irish town As violence flares the characters face a battle between public persona & inner desires Through a chorus of unique voices each struggling to tell their own kind of truth a single authentic tale unfolds The Spinning Heart speaks for contemporary Ireland like no other novel Wry vulnerable all-too human it captures the language & spirit of rural Ireland & with uncanny perception articulates the words & thoughts of a generation Technically daring & evocative of Patrick Mc Cabe & JM Synge this novel of small-town life is witty dark & sweetly poignant Donal Ryan's brilliantly realized debut announces a stunning new voice in literary fiction