Frogs for Watchdogs (Paperback)

Sean Farrell

ISBN 10: 139983407X / ISBN 13: 9781399834070

Published by John Murray Press, 2026

About this Item

Paperback. 'A very special novel' Louise Kennedy'An enthralling novel and a remarkable narrative feat' John BanvilleA wild child with a ferocious imagination will stop at nothing to protect his family.After years of moving from place to place, a young family finds shelter in an isolated house in the Irish countryside. Their father is missing, Mum is a healer and B a formidable big sister. In his strange new territory, a wild little boy gives voice to his experience. Jerry Drain, a local famer, is stealing hay from the barn, someone is making nasty phone calls to the house at night and darkness is gathering at the edges of their lives. With his ferocious imagination the boy will do everything in his power to protect his family. But Jerry will not go away and Mum seems to be falling under his spell. It will be a year of major wins and baffling defeats for the boy, as Jerry's true nature insists on revealing itself. Dark, funny, tender and raw, Frogs for Watchdogs thrums with the intensity of childhood. Above all, it is an ode to the blended family: the bewildering joy, wary safety and profound new bonds of love.Shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards A wild child with a ferocious imagination will stop at nothing to protect his family Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9781399834070

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Frogs for Watchdogs (Paperback)
• Publisher: John Murray Press
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 139983407X
• ISBN 13: 9781399834070
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

'A very special novel' Louise Kennedy

'An enthralling novel and a remarkable narrative feat' John Banville

A wild child with a ferocious imagination will stop at nothing to protect his family.

After years of moving from place to place, a young family finds shelter in an isolated house in the Irish countryside. Their father is missing, Mum is a healer and B a formidable big sister. In his strange new territory, a wild little boy gives voice to his experience.

Jerry Drain, a local famer, is stealing hay from the barn, someone is making nasty phone calls to the house at night and darkness is gathering at the edges of their lives. With his ferocious imagination the boy will do everything in his power to protect his family. But Jerry will not go away and Mum seems to be falling under his spell. It will be a year of major wins and baffling defeats for the boy, as Jerry's true nature insists on revealing itself.

Dark, funny, tender and raw, Frogs for Watchdogs thrums with the intensity of childhood. Above all, it is an ode to the blended family: the bewildering joy, wary safety and profound new bonds of love.

Shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards

About the Author

Seán Farrell was born and brought up in the Irish midlands. He spent fifteen years employed as a labourer in rural France before returning to Ireland to live in Sligo. As well as writing, he works as a freelance literary editor. He is married to the novelist Elske Rahill and they have four children. His first novel, Frogs for Watchdogs, was longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize and shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards.