The where is a who: places as characters

In Jan Carson's new novel 'Few and Far Between' an archipelago of small islands in Northern Ireland offers a holding space for pain with nowhere to go - secrets are literally swallowed by the ground, people stuck between life and death wander among the trees. The islands themselves receive the hurt people are unable to carry, as the novel, with lightness, humour and heart, explores difficult truths about peace in the aftermath of collective trauma.

Reading this immensely powerful (and funny!) novel, we got to thinking about other books where a place appears to have agency, even a will, of its own, stories in which cities, forests or houses are fully alive as characters.

Here's what we came up with! If you love an eclectic book list, this one is for you - where else would you find poetry about the river Seinne in close company with a horror tome about a house with endless rooms?

Join us on Wednesday 20th May to celebrate Few and Far Between as we chat to Jan Carson about her new, hugely entertaining and moving novel. Tickets are here!