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We Are Not in the World

‘compelling and profoundly moving’ Irish Times

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We Are Not in the World

By: Conor O'Callaghan
Narrated by: Sam O'Mahoney
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'Haunting, mesmerising, and so deeply intelligent about the interwoven strengths and frailties of the human heart.' Kamila Shamsie

Heartbroken after a long, painful love affair, a man takes a job driving a haulage lorry through France. Travelling with him is a secret passenger - his daughter. Twenty-something, unkempt, off the rails.

With a week on the road together, man and girl must attempt to restore themselves and each other, and to repair a relationship that is at once fiercely loving and deeply scarred.

As the pair journey down the motorways and through the service stations of France, a devastating picture reveals itself: a story of grief, of shame, and of love in all its complex, dark and glorious manifestations.

PRAISE FOR WE ARE NOT IN THE WORLD:
'Wonderful, wrenching . . . full of enormous feelings very precisely rendered' Sara Baume
'A whirlpool of memories, regrets and hopes' Tim Pears
'An uncanny ability to turn the seemingly insignificant into something monumental' Jan Carson
'Unusual, utterly original and mysterious . . . definitely a 2020 must read' Elaine Feeney

© Conor O'Callaghan 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

 Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Heartfelt
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Critic reviews

Haunting, mesmerising, and so deeply intelligent about the interwoven strengths and frailties of the human heart.
'Memorably disturbing...stylish, deft...very much of the moment...brilliant. Beckett on wheels.'
Powerful . . . compelling and profoundly moving...establishes O'Callaghan as one of the most talented contemporary Irish writers.
Lit up with moments of unexpected beauty and humour...heartbreaking, sweetly logical, tentatively hopeful.
Wonderful, wrenching ... full of enormous feelings very precisely rendered.
Full of wit, charm, and off-beat language - this heartbreaking novel is beautifully drawn in its observation of relationships, intimacy, love and the fragility of family. Unusual, utterly original and mysterious, O'Callaghan is a stunningly good writer. We Are Not In The World is definitely a 2020 must read.
A darkly atmospheric tale of a loner seeking to rebuild his life after a failed love affair. The pursuit of that search, the missteps behind it, and the hard truths he learns in the process are the key concerns of a novel likely to intrigue and unsettle readers.
...the book stays with you, a haunting presence you cannot - and do not want to - escape...astounding
O'Callaghan's writing is so precise, so penetrating and endearing, that it all comes together in a gripping way.
There is a truly ­stunning plot twist that causes the reader to reappraise everything that the narrative has previously articulated . . . packs a real emotional punch
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