HarperCollins Ireland snaps up 'brilliantly inventive' debut novel from Murray

HarperCollins Ireland has snapped up a "brilliantly inventive" debut novel from Kathleen Murray.

Catherine Gough, commissioning editor, bought Ireland, UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, to The Deadwood Encore from Gráinne Fox at Fletcher & Company. It will be published on 28th April 2022.

The Deadwood Encore tells the story of Frank Whelan, the seventh son of a seventh son, who by now should have inherited his father’s legendary healing power, but still hasn’t managed to graduate beyond small-time skin afflictions.

The publisher said: "He already feels adrift when his twin, Bernie, reveals a life-changing decision that calls into question everything Frank thought he knew about his place in the family. And then he discovers his father had been keeping secrets of his own.  And so Frank turns to an unlikely source for guidance and finds himself on a quest for answers… from this world, and the next. A boundlessly inventive novel about the past’s hold over the present, set in an Irish community alive with old magic and extraordinary possibility, The Deadwood Encore is an electrifying debut from one of Ireland’s most acclaimed short-fiction authors."

Murray said: "I took up writing later on in life. I worked on short stories and then one story grew into The Deadwood Encore. The process of beginning with the distinctive voice of Frank Whelan, seeing how events unfolded from his perspective, to be later joined by a second voice, the Deadwood Da, was exciting. I did not know what the story was about or what was going to happen next. It is an extra thrill to go through the process of having this story published, and I’m delighted that Catherine Gough at HarperCollins Ireland also connected with the Whelans, a typical Irish family, in spite of their special gifts."

Gough added: "Kathleen Murray has been a powerhouse in the short fiction writing community for years, so I couldn’t be prouder to be publishing her debut novel. The Deadwood Encore showcases her sharp storytelling skills brilliantly: every sentence has a cadence, and the dialogue sticks in your head like a song, capturing the magic of how Irish people talk to each other as deftly as Roddy Doyle and Kevin Barry. It is witty, perfectly paced, and unlike anything else I’ve read. Kathleen Murray is a rare talent, and the whole team at HarperCollins Ireland are thrilled to be working with her."