The Red Bird Sings: A feminist gothic suspense novel that will keep you up all night

Description

'Based on a real-life murder trial in 1897 Virginia, this dazzling debut arrives with a Southern Gothic slant and a feminist spirit' Daily Mail ***A Most Anticipated Book for 2023 in the Daily Mail, Irish Times and Sunday Independent*** West Virginia, 1897. When young Zona Heaster Shue dies only a few months after her wedding, her mother Mary Jane becomes convinced that Zona was murdered - and by none other than her husband, Trout, the handsome blacksmith beloved in their small Southern town. But when Trout is put on trial, no one believes he could have done it, apart from Mary Jane and Zona's best friend Lucy, who was always suspicious of Trout. As the trial raises to fever pitch and the men of Greenbrier County stand aligned against them, Mary Jane and Lucy must decide whether to reveal Zona's greatest secret in the service of justice. But it's Zona herself, from beyond the grave, who still has one last revelation to make. The Red Bird Sings is to be read with your heart in your mouth down your spine to the final, haunting page. It also explores important questions which we are still asking to this day. Who is listened to and who is ignored? Why are women so often not believed? And what does justice truly mean? 'Written with a compelling, lyrical intensity, The Red Bird Sings is a historical drama whose characters are full of a a suppressed fury, and haunted by a need for justice. A deeply felt and accomplished debut' Anne Enright 'Keeps you turning pages right until the end. Loved it' Julie Owen Moylan, author of That Green Eyed Girl 'Truly superb... Compelling and lyrical in equal measure' Victoria MacKenzie, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain 'Beautifully crafted ... wholly convincing in its historical detail and tone' Sarah Gilmartin, author of Dinner Party

Aoife Fitzpatrick is a native of Dublin, Ireland. Her debut novel, The Red Bird Sings, won the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize in 2020. The winner of the inaugural Books Ireland short-story competition, her work has also been recognised by the Sean O'Faolain Prize, the Elizabeth Jolley Prize and by the Writing.ie Short Story of the Year award. Aoife received an MFA in Creative Writing at University College Dublin in 2019 and in 2020, she was the recipient of a literature bursary from the Arts Council of Ireland.

Written with a compelling, lyrical intensity, The Red Bird Sings is a historical drama whose characters are full of a a suppressed fury, and haunted by a need for justice. A deeply felt and accomplished debut * Anne Enright * An atmospheric debut that keeps you turning pages right until the end. Loved it * Julie Owen Moylan, author of That Green Eyed Girl * Truly superb... Compelling and lyrical in equal measure * Victoria MacKenzie, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain * Beautifully crafted ... wholly convincing in its historical detail and tone * Sarah Gilmartin, author of Dinner Party * Exceptional... What a treat. It's that rare beast: beautiful and literary with an extremely compelling and readable plot * Nicola Garrard, author of 29 Locks * I was tenterhooked from the very first to the very last page * Jo Browning Wroe, author of A Terrible Kindness * An absolutely beautifully written story. Aoife Fitzpatrick's prose just lifts straight off the page and transports you to 1897 Virginia, where Zona Heaster's Shue's story is told by the women who loved her, despite efforts to silence her forever * Cailean Steed, author of HOME * I was spellbound by this incredibly accomplished piece of historical feminist fiction. Thrilling and beautifully written * Jennie Godfrey, author of THE LIST OF SUSPICIOUS THINGS * An historical courtroom drama and ghost story that had me on tenterhooks until the very end. Fitzpatrick has a magpie's eye for detail and eccentricity, her prose shines... and she gives us a feminist heroine, a girl with a typewriter and a bicycle, whose loyalty and courage make her unstoppable. I loved The Red Bird Sings * Aingeala Flannery, author of THE AMUSEMENTS * A beautifully crafted novel about loss, faith and justice set against the backdrop of 19th century West Virginia. I was transported into the worlds of Mary Jane, Lucy and Zona and into the life of women at that time, where their word meant so little compared to a man's. I had to keep reading to find out what happened whilst also not wanting it to end. A brilliant debut * Alison Stockham, author of The Cuckoo Sister * A beautifully paced retelling of the nineteenth century real life murder in West Virginia of Zona Shue. Through the voices of her distraught mother, Mary Jane, her childhood friend and would-be journalist, Lucy Frye, and Zona herself, in the form of letters and visions, it explores feminist themes that are contemporary and important. An utterly engrossing read, I adored it. Aoife Fitzpatrick is a powerful new voice in historical fiction * Paula McGrath *