{"title":"Books by Jan Carson","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9781804990841","title":"The Raptures","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhen several children from the same village start succumbing to a mysterious illness, the quest to discover the cause has devastating and extraordinary consequences.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Absolutely MAGNIFICENT: dark, witty, charming. I LOVED it.' MARIAN KEYES \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Utterly absorbing' LISA MCINERNEY\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Heart-rending, hilarious . . . it's a belter' LOUISE KENNEDY\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Blistering...glorious...written from the guts and from the heart.' LUCY CALDWELL\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'An original and exciting work that's equal parts terrifying, hilarious and memorable.' \u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIt is late June in Ballylack. Hannah Adger anticipates eight long weeks' reprieve from school, but when her classmate Ross succumbs to a violent and mysterious illness, it marks the beginning of a summer like no other.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs others fall ill, questions about what - or who - is responsible pitch the village into conflict and fearful disarray. Hannah is haunted by guilt as she remains healthy while her friends are struck down. Isolated and afraid, she prays for help.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eElsewhere in the village, tempers simmer, panic escalates and long-buried secrets threaten to emerge.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBursting with Carson's trademark wit, profound empathy and soaring imagination, \u003ci\u003eThe Raptures\u003c\/i\u003e explores how tragedy can unite a small community - and tear it apart. At its heart is the extraordinary resilience of one young girl. As the world crumbles around her, she must find the courage to be different in a place where conforming feels like the only option available.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eDarkly funny, highly inventive and deeply moving, \u003ci\u003eThe Raptures \u003c\/i\u003eis an unmissable novel of 2022.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43128035672242,"sku":"9781804990841","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781804990841_cbbbb89b-7469-42c0-a539-e331d18bbe70.jpg?v=1786028220"},{"product_id":"9781784163846","title":"The Fire Starters","description":"\u003cp\u003e**WINNER of the EU Prize for Literature**\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'One of the most exciting and original Northern Irish writers of her generation' \u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Gripping, affecting, surprising. I inhaled it' LISA MCINERNEY \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Captivating, intelligent and courageous' \u003ci\u003eIRISH TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Spectacular. At once grittily real, wildly magical and insanely alluring - a siren-song of a novel.' DONAL RYAN\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Jan Carson seems to have invented a new Belfast in this gripping, surprising, exhilarating novel.' RODDY DOYLE\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Blew me away with its power, anger and wit.' JOSEPH O'CONNOR \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDr Jonathan Murray fears his new-born daughter is not as harmless as she seems. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSammy Agnew is wrestling with his dark past, and fears the violence in his blood lurks in his son, too.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe city is in flames and the authorities are losing control.  As matters fall into frenzy, and as the lines between fantasy and truth, right and wrong, begin to blur, who will these two fathers choose to protect?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDark, propulsive and thrillingly original, this tale of fierce familial love and sacrifice fizzes with magic and wonder.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43204935319730,"sku":"9781784163846","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781784163846_7bb9cc6f-377b-4c64-bcdc-edaf619d34f4.jpg?v=1786026109"},{"product_id":"9781804995822","title":"Children's Children","description":"Read the debut short story collection from the multi-award-winning author of The Raptures, now updated with a new bonus story.   'Jan Carson is a born storyteller' Lisa McInerneyA floating six-year-old tethered to the backyard fence; two siblings watching their parents argue inside a greenhouse; a human statue who’s lost the ability to move; a support group for the haunted: the characters in Children’s Children are all falling apart in their own peculiar ways.   Told in Jan Carson’s distinctive voice, her debut short story collection contains absurdist, darkly humorous and heartbreaking stories which explore the concept of legacy, and the impact of one generation upon the next.   --PRAISE FOR JAN CARSON:'These stories are pure magic, funny, sharp, heartbreaking, the short form at its absolute best. Jan Carson is a unique and very special writer, one of the greatest of the modern fabulists' DONAL RYAN, author of Heart, Be at Peace'Story after story glints with the strange, hard magic of the North . . . I adored them.' LUCY CALDWELL, author of These Days'Jan Carson's stories are by turns hilarious, heartbreaking, heartwarming - but always surprising' ERIC NGUYEN, author of Things We Lost to the Water'Jan Carson is one of the most original voices I’ve read in years . . . I am truly in awe of this collection' TANIA JAMES, author of The Tusk That Did the Damage'What an enormous pleasure it is to read Jan Carson. Each short story is masterful, brilliantly inventive and moving. Every page reveals the mark of an extraordinary original and gifted writer' KARL GEARY, author of Montpelier Parade","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54911753716085,"sku":"9781804995822","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781804995822_f1ab7d61-a59c-46d0-9d5f-eb205821a68b.jpg?v=1786028521"},{"product_id":"9781804993170","title":"Quickly, While They Still Have Horses","description":"\u003cp\u003e‘Jan Carson is a born storyteller: her work is so imaginative, whimsical, mischievous and brave, but tender and curious too — you never know where she's going to take you next, so reading her is always an adventure. Exactly how it should be.’ LISA MCINERNEY, author of THE GLORIOUS HERESIES'Pure magic, funny, sharp, heartbreaking, the short form at its absolute best. Jan Carson is a unique and very special writer, one of the greatest of the modern fabulists. - DONAL RYAN author of HEART BE AT PEACE\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn sixteen sparkling stories, Jan Carson introduces us to worlds and characters that feel real enough to touch. All of life is here: the thrill of growing up, the grief when youth is over; first love, mature love, parenthood and loss - all shot through with profound compassion, warm wit, and boundless imagination.   In 'A Certain Degree of Ownership', a distracted couple on a beach fail to notice their baby crawl perilously towards the sea. In 'Troubling the Water', a rumour spreads at a public swimming pool and chaos ensues. In 'Fair Play' a dishevelled father loses his two sons in an adventure park.   Every so often, an irresistible suggestion of the other world will surprise and delight, reaffirming Carson as a thrillingly original and audacious talent, and making Quickly, While They Still Have Horses the perfect introduction for readers new to her work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54926440431989,"sku":"9781804993170","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781804993170_5f40639d-ec17-49b1-8499-cf4c8b5e97ee.jpg?v=1786028389"},{"product_id":"9781780733289","title":"The Black Dreams","description":"\"My brother said that he needed to dampen down the colours in his flat. There was too much colour in there. There was too much confusion. The colours were clashing. They were humming. First he did the walls, and then he did the skirting boards, and the ceiling. And then the doors. Carefully, methodically, over the course of a couple of weeks, he stripped them, primed them and painted them. He painted them all –  carefully, methodically. He painted them black.\" ?— Ian Sansom, ‘The Black’This anthology of specially commissioned short stories explores the weird, surreal, and dream-like, a world that is off-kilter. Bringing together some of the best of Northern Ireland’s literary talents along with new and exciting voices, this compelling collection is dark, funny, and unsettling.Contributors: Jo Baker, Jan Carson, Reggie Chamberlain-King, Ailsinn Clarke, Emma Devlin, Moyra Donaldson, Michelle Gallen, Carlo Gebler, John Patrick Higgins, Ian McDonald, Gerard McKeown, Bernie McGill, Ian Sansom, and Sam Thompson.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303226552693,"sku":"9781780733289","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781780733289_228ad62b-1375-4e3c-af73-3498d6d6791c.jpg?v=1786026014"},{"product_id":"9781781620618","title":"The Last Resort","description":"\u003cp\u003e'Profoundly imagined characters, spiced with the off-kilter and deliciously mad . . . a work of great empathy and imagination' \u003cb\u003eTHE IRISH TIMES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe season's just begun at Seacliff Caravan Park, but none of the residents are having a good time. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eFrankie is haunted by his daughter's death. Vidas, homeless and far from Lithuania, seeks sanctuary in an abandoned caravan. Anna struggles to shake off the ghost of her overbearing mother. Kathleen struggles to accept her daughter for who she is. Malcolm, a failed illusionist, makes one final attempt to reinvent himself. Agatha Christie-obsessed Alma faces her toughest case yet as she tries to help them all find what they've lost.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWith trademark wit and playfulness, in this stunning linked short-story collection Jan Carson explores complex family dynamics, ageing, immigration, gender politics, the decline of the Church and the legacy of the Troubles. \u003ci\u003eThe Last Resort \u003c\/i\u003efirmly places Carson as one of the most inventive and daring writers of her generation.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'One of the most exciting and original Northern Irish writers of her generation' \u003ci\u003eSUNDAY TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56304859513205,"sku":"9781781620618","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781781620618_f4fe77c8-54c3-4e53-9a98-3dbb1efeb9df.jpg?v=1786025602"},{"product_id":"9781848408616","title":"A Little Unsteadily into Light","description":"New fiction by: Suad AldarraCaleb Azumah NelsonJan CarsonElaine FeeneyOona FrawleySinéad GleesonAnna Jean HughesCaleb KlacesNaomi KrügerHenrietta McKerveyPaul McVeighMary MorrissyNuala O'ConnorChris Wright To live with dementia is to develop extraordinary and various new ways of being – linguistically, cognitively and practically. The storyteller operates similarly, using words and ideas creatively to reveal a slightly different perspective of the world.   In this anthology of fourteen new short stories, commissioned by Jan Carson and Jane Lugea, some of the best contemporary writers from Ireland and the UK powerfully and poignantly explore the depths and breadth of the real dementia experience, traversing age, ethnicity, class and gender, sex and consent. Each writer’s story is drawn from their own personal experience of dementia and told with outrageous and dark humour, empathy and startling insight. Here are heroes and villains, tricksters and saints, mothers, fathers, lovers, friends, characters whose past has overshadowed their present and characters who are making a huge impact on the world they currently find themselves in. They might have dementia, but dementia is only a small part of who they are. They will challenge, frustrate, inspire and humble you.   Above all, these brilliant pieces of short fiction disrupt the perceived notions of what dementia is and, in their diversity, honesty and authenticity begin to normalise an illness that affects so many and break down the stigma endured by those living with it every day.    Find out more about the AHRC-funded research project based at Queen's University Belfast, from which this anthology has emerged: www.blogs.qub.ac.uk\/dementiafiction\/","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56308492861813,"sku":"9781848408616","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781848408616_d3555f06-b69e-4c26-b325-c08f0e82881e.jpg?v=1786029242"},{"product_id":"9781529936759","title":"Few and Far Between","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn 1958 soon-to-be Northern Irish Prime Minister Terrence O’Neill proposed draining Lough Neagh, (the largest lake in the UK), in order to create a seventh county for the North. O’Neill was widely mocked for his ludicrous idea. In \u003ci\u003eFew and Far Between\u003c\/i\u003e, Belfast-based writer, Jan Carson’s fourth novel, she imagines an alternative history in which O’Neill’s drainage scheme proceeds, exposing an archipelago of tiny islands in the middle of Lough Neagh, (which really exist). The Neagh Archipelago provides sanctuary for dozens of individuals intimidated out of their homes during the “Troubles,” and at first becomes a kind of haven for people who want to love a different life, who don’t fit in on the mainland. One timeline tells of the growth of this community and the flamboyant social anthropologist, Robert John Connelly, who arrives in the 1970s to document the residents’ lives and becomes something of a guru figure who never leaves.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe second timeline begins in 2017, when the new government proposes to release the dams, and flood the archipelago once more. Most of the families have now abandoned the islands and only a few remain, including Marion and Robert, the now-adult children of RJ Connelly. The island has also become home to ‘sleepers’ and ‘almost deads’, those caught in a hinterland between life and death. Before the dams are destroyed and the floods descend, a second anthropologist is sent to the islands. But there are secrets buried on these islands that no one remaining wants her to discover.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Hardback","offer_id":56369007952245,"sku":"9781529936759","price":18.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":57682574410101,"sku":"9781804995167","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529936759_93a93ec6-61d9-4e82-9c92-89a5685306f7.jpg?v=1792511512"},{"product_id":"no-vacancy-hotel-stories","title":"No Vacancy: Hotel Stories","description":"No Vacancy is a short collection of micro-fiction inspired by Jan Carson's various (and numerous) hotel visits of recent years. Whether it's winning ownership of the Isle of Man in a game of pool or decoding the messages of a one-eyed man in Norwich, each story features Carson's ethereal wit and surreal set-ups, written in her distinct style. The book features illustrations by Rory Jeffers.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57510103581045,"sku":"9781838108168","price":10.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781838108168.jpg?v=1787130428"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-jan-carson.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}