The Raptures

A blistering account of small-town Ulster life, The Raptures is unflinching in its exploration of the corrosive effects of fear and small-mindedness on a community, and the trauma wreaked by uncompromising religious fundamentalism on a young and tender soul. Rich in a glorious colloquial idiom, rich with Jan Carson's sharp, sardonic wit, it is ultimately a hopeful read, too, about the ways - whether we like it or not - we are all connected. This is a book written from the guts and from the heart.

LUCY CALDWELL

Hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure, The Raptures is a very special novel. Jan Carson is a writer of astounding empathy, giving every character - alive or dead - a voice that rings brilliantly true. A real gem.

RUTH GILLIGAN

I gobbled up The Raptures. It's a delightful read - sharp, packed with wit and heart, and always utterly absorbing. And it's got that perfectly Irish mix of darkness and humour, the smartarsed wink into the void.

LISA MCINERNEY

Absolutely MAGNIFICENT: dark, witty, charming. I LOVED it

MARIAN KEYES

Heart-rending, hilarious . . . It's a belter.

LOUISE KENNEDY

Jan has such a singular voice; she is somehow able to write gently and playfully about the largest, most timely and tragic of topics. Here she has conjured a scenario that feels both very true and very mysterious. I adored it.

SARA BAUME

The Raptures is perfect and generous and beautifully crafted and everything I demand from a book. And Hannah, brave and brilliant Hannah -- I've made up a room for her in my heart forever. I'll be putting it in every hand this Christmas.

KARL GEARY

An utterly compulsive and gripping portrayal of the brilliance of children, the power of intergenerational relationships, and the certainty of our human desire to belong. An utterly engrossing read - one that confronts the trauma of loss and the dangers of religious zealotry through powerful narrative, compelling characters and sharp wit. Jan Carson is a true original. An absolute must read. Outstanding.

ELAINE FEENEY

I laughed, cried, was enraptured.

SAGA, BOOK OF THE MONTH

A fascinating tale of trauma, fury and panic.

INDEPENDENT

This superb book deserves all the plaudits and praise going.

SUNDAY INDEPENDENT, IRELAND

An original and exciting work that's equal parts terrifying, hilarious and memorable... It is truly one of those books in which every piece fits together like the cogs of a watch.

SUNDAY TIMES IRELAND

An Agatha Christie-esque whodunnit, a dark supernatural mystery and an account of mass trauma. Carson forges these parts into a tragicomedy in which fantastic elements slot almost seamlessly alongside kitchen-sink realism...compassionate and meticulously observed.'

GUARDIAN

Original and vivid, The Raptures is its own beautiful, unique thing

IRISH TIMES

The book's beauty comes from its hilarious depiction of claustrophobic small-town life

Sunday Times

An instantly compelling and novel take on a fractured society, The Raptures is a captivating, clever book by a truly original writer

Sarah Gilmartin

The Raptures is a wonderful piece of fiction. It engages the reader with a clever plot and with its perfect portrayal of parochial life in Northern Ireland imploded by tragedy told in prose that shimmers with empathy, warmth and humanity.

IRISH INDEPENDENT