The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan

The Spinning Heart by Donal Ryan

One of my bookclub reads for November! A short, semi-experimental novel that follows one small town in Ireland post financial crash in the early 2010s.

The Spinning Heart is told from twenty one perspectives, all of whom live in the town. It focuses in on the workers who have been laid off by Pokey, a construction employer who has hired a lot of the men in the town. The characters felt realistic and gritty and the way they gossiped about others rang true to small town life. I found the main story of Bobby’s father’s death compulsive. Additionally, the writing style in colloquial Irish made the setting/situation feel even more compelling.

My only difficulty was in remembering the characters - by about character 10 I was having to flick back to remember who I’d met previously.

All in all, it was a fab read & I’d like to give Donal Ryan another try.