The Jewel
A gripping exploration of art and human connection
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:2nd Apr '20
Should be back in stock very soon
In The Jewel, three damaged individuals' lives converge around a haunting Victorian painting, leading to a gripping exploration of art, loss, and human connection.
In The Jewel, an artist turned art thief, an obsessive curator, and a specialist in major art thefts find their lives intertwined with the fate of a legendary work by a tragic Victorian woman artist. This ambitious novel explores the complexities of human relationships and the impact of art on the lives of those who create and preserve it. The narrative unfolds around a haunting painting, created as a funeral dress by a woman who chose to end her life rather than endure neglect and pain. This striking piece, painted using a fragile distemper technique, hangs in a Dublin gallery, coveted by a collector eager to possess it, even if it means resorting to theft.
The artist, now a thief, grapples with profound loss and disillusionment, while the lonely gallerist dedicates her life to the painting, striving to maintain its legacy. Meanwhile, the man tasked with recovering the stolen artwork is trapped in an abusive relationship, adding layers of complexity to their intertwined destinies. Each character is portrayed with a deep sense of empathy, reminiscent of the works of Michael Cunningham and David Park. Set against the backdrop of various European cities, The Jewel paints a vivid picture of the art world and the personal struggles that come with it.
Irish author Neil Hegarty delivers a beautifully crafted narrative that combines elements of historical fiction with a contemporary heist plot. As the characters navigate their fraught relationships and ambitions, the story reveals how artifice influences their lives, culminating in a gripping exploration of what it means to be human. Hegarty's writing shines with intelligence and emotional depth, making this novel a significant contribution to modern literature.
Neil Hegarty's rich and intriguing second novel starts off in the realm of Victorian pastiche but ends up as a gripping present-day heist plot... [Hegarty] gives himself lots to juggle but manages with aplomb, setting the wounded trio at the book's heart on a grimly compelling collision course' * Daily Mail *
Striking... Hegarty has gifted us a vital book for our time. Bathed in light, seeped in colour; it is full of the act of being mortal – in a landscape that is – slowly, finally – finding what it means to be human' * Irish Times *
Irish author Neil Hegarty proves again that he is one to watch... Hegarty writes with sharp intelligence, which coupled with his strong storytelling and well-defined characters, results in a gripping plot that also offers an affecting insight into how artifice permeates our lives' * Observer *
Dazzling, raw and moving... The writing is lyrical and poetic – some paragraphs are so exquisite as to feel almost ethereal' * Irish Times *
Hegarty is adept at conjuring the texture of relationships ...The plot, as these three lives elide, is very much secondary to their particular histories and quirks. Hergarty has created a strange, unsettling novel that is, in its quiet way, a jewel * Spectator *
[Hegarty] has a knack for navigating complex emotional territory with skill and sensitivity * Mail on Sunday *
An original plot and characters ensures this book will stay with you long after you've turned the last page * Sunday Post *
A beautifully written meditation on identity and grief, longing and loss, and the indelible colours childhood leaves on us all, The Jewel is one of this year's gems * Irish Independent *
[Hegarty] crafts a hugely satisfying set of character studies, lost romances, bitter compromises and uneasy alliances, in the setting of a gripping gallery heist. A classy outing finding other dimensions to Hegarty's bothering perceptions of what makes us all tick * Belfast Telegraph. *
A novel that bobs and weaves in quite an individualistic way and the quality of the writing from Hegarty [...] is consistently strong in expressing the yearning in the lives of these characters * Irish Examiner. *
Skilful and frequently evocative powers of description. The Jewel also displays a fine ear for dialogue, along with a good eye for the workings of relationships, especially when things go awry * Dublin Review of Books *
ISBN: 9781789541823
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
352 pages