'Exceptional' The Times
'Luminous . . . Unexpected' Guardian

Shortlisted for Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, the Dalkey Literary Awards and the Kerry Group Awards

Luke O'Brien has left Dublin to live a quiet life on the bend of the River Sullane. Alone in his big house, he longs for a return to his family's heyday and turns to books for solace. One morning a young woman arrives at his door, presenting Luke and his family with an almost impossible dilemma.

About the Author
Mary Costello lives in Galway. Her short story collection, The China Factory (2012), was nominated for the Guardian First Book Award and shortlisted for an Irish Book Award. Her first novel, Academy Street (2014), won the Irish Novel of the Year Award at the Irish Book Awards and was named overall Irish Book of the Year. The River Capture, her second novel, was shortlisted for Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, the Dalkey Book Awards and the Kerry Group Awards.

Reviews
One of the most surprising and original novels of 2019 . . . Exceptional . . . This is a sensory book that draws on the body to feed the mind * * The Times * *
Elegantly written . . . Exquisite and impressionistic prose * * Observer * *
An intellectual romp through language and word philosophy, and a self-confessed homage to James Joyce . . . Costello writes insightfully * * Sunday Times * *
Luminous . . . Unexpected . . . An audacious act of literary ventriloquism and one that Costello pulls off astonishingly successfully . . . Joyce devotees will discover much to enjoy in this clever homage, while fans of contemporary Irish literature will find a subtle, slightly melancholy, engrossing read -- Melissa Harrison * * Guardian * *
The River Capture is breathtaking. It is profound in the most bruising way; elegant, and then thrillingly savage; expansive, but masterfully precise, and full of sentences that made me choke on jealous rage. Costello is in a different class altogether -- LISA McINERNEY
Astonishingly bittersweet and beautiful, The River Capture is a quiet, important, hypnotic book about absolutely everything. It is as near perfect as it is possible for a novel to be -- SARA BAUME
A hypnotic read revealing how the ebb and flow of memory, family loyalty and love can disrupt the current of a life * * Mail on Sunday * *
Powerful . . . The River Capture reminds us that everything is connected, that we are, as humans, not separate from the teeming world of nature around us . . . Lyrical * * Financial Times * *
Intense, engrossing, a novel that constantly subverts the reader's expectation - Mary Costello is a truly startling talent -- KEVIN BARRY
Costello's writing is truly beautiful and this book will hypnotise you from the first page to the last * * Stylist * *


Awards
Short-listed for Irish Book Awards Eason Book Club Novel of the Year 2019 (Ireland) and Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award 2020 (Ireland) and Dalkey Literary Awards: Novel of the Year 2020 (Ireland).



Book Information
ISBN 9781786898043
Author Mary Costello
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Canongate Books
Publisher Canongate Books
Weight(grams) 184g
Dimensions(mm) 198mm * 129mm * 17mm