He Used to Be Me
Format:Paperback
Publisher:New Island Books
Published:9th Feb '24
Should be back in stock very soon
‘I sit on the stone that will mark the bed of my bones. You’ll find the used-to-be-me, soon, flat body, washed up, wrinkly skin. No silly grin. You’ll say, What a waste of a life. Tut-tut sounds jump out. Dangle like worms from your crow’s mouth ...’
Meet Daft Matt, the Mayo man at the heart of this astonishing, form-bending story, as he wanders the streets of Castlebar in search of Devil’s feet – the claw marks of the cága, or jackdaws, who have spoken to him since he was a boy.
Yet Matt is anything but daft. In lyrical prose, Walsh Donnelly explores the complex workings of Matt’s inner life: how he deals with the loss of his twin brother as a child, navigates the carefree days of early manhood and copes with the aftermath of the horse-riding accident that would see him incarcerated in the care system for the next thirty years. Richly imagined and beautifully written, this is a story for anyone who chooses to look beyond the surface of things.
‘I used to think those claws were the only things that kept me above sea-level.’
'This slim volume is a little gem, and if you liked Doireann ní Ghríofa's A Ghost in the Throat or, more similar to this narrative, Max Porter's Lanny then you'll drink this up.'
-- Anne Cunningham * Meath Chronicle *'The story is beautifully and imaginatively told, using language that is poetic and profound, yet is instantly accessible. It is deeply sad, but strangely life-affirming at the same time'
-- Kevin Powderly * writing.ie *‘An impressive debut, highly original, written in vivid, memorable prose.’
* Irish Examiner *'Anne Walsh Donnelly writes from the heart. Words fall from her as they shape on the page, some moving to one side of an answer, some to the other, some a direct hit with a soft laugh … Donnelly has a way of seeing the world as if noticing it suddenly, in its true form.'
-- Catherine Murphy * Books Ireland *Some books sneak up on you, starting out as one thing before hitting you with emotions you didn't expect, and a power you didn't see coming. Anne Walsh Donnelly has written such a book ... In 116 spare, charged pages, ... [it] will break your heart. Walsh Donnelly is a relatively new voice in Irish fiction ... but her work has an assuredness of tone and a mature voice and in Daft Matt she has created a character that lingers. A profound and moving experience.
-- Nadine O'Regan * The Irish TimISBN: 9781848409071
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 12mm
Weight: 150g
128 pages