Spill Simmer Falter Wither - Hardcover

Baume, Sara

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0544716191 ISBN 13: 9780544716193

Publisher: Mariner Books, 2016

Synopsis

A debut novel already praised as "unbearably poignant and beautifully told" (Eimear McBride) this captivating story follows — over the course of four seasons — a misfit man who adopts a misfit dog.

It is springtime, and two outcasts — a man ignored, even shunned by his village, and the one-eyed dog he takes into his quiet, tightly shuttered life — find each other, by accident or fate, and forge an unlikely connection. As their friendship grows, their small, seaside town suddenly takes note of them, falsely perceiving menace where there is only mishap; the unlikely duo must take to the road. 

 

Gorgeously written in poetic and mesmerizing prose, Spill Simmer Falter Wither has already garnered wild support in its native Ireland, where the Irish Times pointed to Baume’s “astonishing power with language” and praised it as “a novel bursting with brio, braggadocio and bite.” It is also a moving depiction of how — over the four seasons echoed in the title — a relationship between fellow damaged creatures can bring them both comfort. One of those rare stories that utterly, completely imagines its way into a life most of us would never see, it transforms us not only in our understanding of the world, but also of ourselves.

About this title

About the Author

Sara Baume studied fine art before earning a Master’s in Creative Writing. Her short fiction has appeared in the The Moth, The Stinging Fly, the Irish Independent, and others. She won the 2014 Davy Byrnes Short Story Award and the 2015 Hennessy New Irish Writing Award. She lives in Cork with her two dogs.

From the Back Cover

Winner of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature
Winner of the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year Award
Short-listed for the Costa First Novel Award
Long-listed for the Guardian First Book Award, Readers Choice
Long-listed for the Warwick Prize for Writing
Long-listed for the Edinburgh First Book Award

Unbearably poignant and beautifully told. Eimear McBride, author of A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing

A tour de force . . . No writer since J. M. Coetzee or Cormac McCarthy has written about an animal with such intensity . . . At its heart is a touching and inspiriting sense of empathy, that rarest but most human of traits. Boundaries melt, other hearts become knowable . . . This book is a stunning and wonderful achievement by a writer touched by greatness. Joseph O Connor, the Irish Times

In a relentlessly inventive language that, it seems, can maneuver anywhere and describe anything, Baume s story of a man and his dog examines and elegizes the myriad strange, ramshackle, and ephemeral worlds locked deep inside the world. An exceptional, startling, and original book. Colin Barrett, author of Young Skins

Powerful, heartbreaking, told with great control. The writing is superb . . . I had an image of all language standing to attention, eager to serve this writer. Mary Costello, author of Academy Street

This book is like a flame in daylight: beautiful and unexpected. It packs a big effect for something that seems so slight, and almost hard to see. Anne Enright

From the Inside Flap

Extraordinary . . . A heartbreaking read, and heralds Baume as a major new talent. Independent on Sunday

It is springtime, and two outcasts a man invisible to his village and the one-eyed dog he takes into his quiet, tightly shuttered life find each other, by accident or fate, and forge an unlikely connection. Over the four seasons echoed in the title, Ray opens up to One-Eye, telling him the stories of his life. Then their small seaside town suddenly takes note of them, falsely perceiving menace where there is only mishap. The unlikely duo must take to the road.

Gorgeously written in poetic, mesmerizing prose, Spill Simmer Falter Wither has garnered wild support in its native Ireland, where the Irish Times pointed to Baume s astonishing power with language and praised it as a novel bursting with brio, braggadocio, and bite.

A moving depiction of how a relationship between fellow injured creatures can bring comfort to each, this is also a celebration of the wonders of this earth that will leave you breathless with hope and expanded in spirit. One of those rare stories that utterly, completely imagines its way into a life most of us would never see, it transforms us not only in our understanding of the world, but also of ourselves.

Reviews

A solitary misfit opens up to his one-eyed dog in this debut novel. Ray describes himself as old (he's 57), shabbily dressed, and sketchily bearded, pitching and clomping when he walks. He first sees the dog in an animal shelter advertisement: a grisly photo of a mangled canine face. The kennel keeper says the dog attacks other dogs; its scars suggest it was used for badger hunting. Ray is familiar with abuse: his father, understanding Ray is "not right-minded," raised him in confined isolation. Ray reads, drives, and knows he's not a regular person. Following his father's death, he remains in his father's house alone until he adopts the dog he calls One Eye. When One Eye attacks another dog, incurring the owner's wrath, Ray takes One Eye on the road, traveling from one Irish village to another, sleeping in the car. By the time they return home, they have spent a year together, and their friendship is fixed. Baume's storytelling can be indirect. She never mentions Ray's name, only that he's named for a sunbeam or a sand shark. Nor does she specify Ray's impairment. As a narrator, he shows observation skills, appreciation for landscape, and awareness of fear and sadness. For One Eye, he's full of empathy. Baume's debut is notable for its rhythmic language, sensory imagery (especially visuals and smells), and second-person narrative directed at an animal. She is brutal detailing brutality, lyrical contemplating land and sea, and at her best evoking the connection between man and dog. (Mar.)\n

Edition details

• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0544716191
• ISBN 13: 9780544716193
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 274