The Red Bird Sings

A prize-winning, spine-tingling gothic suspense novel based on a real-life murder trial in 1897 West Virginia

A sparkling, unusual novel that demands you turn the pages. The spirits tell me that this Irish debut author is a talent to watch Antonia Senior, The Times
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
A gothic mystery pulsing with suspense, it highlights domestic abuse and the silencing of women's voices Mail on Sunday
Truly superb... Compelling and lyrical in equal measure Victoria MacKenzie, author of For Thy Great Pain Have Mercy On My Little Pain
I was tenterhooked from the very first to the very last page Jo Browning Wroe, author of A Terrible Kindness
An atmospheric debut that keeps you turning pages right until the end. Loved it Julie Owen Moylan, author of That Green Eyed Girl
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
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
Aoife Fitzpatrick gives voice to a murdered woman in this powerful, unflinching study of domestic brutality. The elegant, masterful prose hums with the righteous fury of women who cannot be contained and will not be silenced. This is not a whodunnit or a whydunnit, but a willhegetawaywith it, where the thrill of the reveal is how the murderer will be nailed for his crime, and boy does Fitzpatrick deliver! When Zona finally speaks, her voice hits like a punch. But this is a tender book too; at its core is the moving tale of a mother's ferocious love for her child. A triumph Nikki Marmery, author of On Wilder Seas
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
I loved The Red Bird Sings ... a haunting story of love, revenge and grief Stacey Thomas, author of The Revels
Excellent, immersive historical fiction inspired by a true story. Beautifully written, this is a brilliant novel that asks questions that we're still trying to answer today Louise Hare, author of Miss Aldridge Regrets
Seriously stupendous ... A read-late-into-the-night tense, well-up-weeping touching, truly transformational read Meg Clothier, author of The Book of Eve
A masterful debut Image magazine
The trial thrills the most, with its combative lawyers, sickening jeopardy and gasp-worthy reveals Daily Telegraph
A stunning debut Daily Mail
Intense [and] memorable Sunday Times
Stunning . . . Fitzpatrick unspools an uneasy shimmering tale of coercive control, spiritualism and staunch friendship. It's a brilliant take on Southern Gothic . . . simmers with suspense and suspicion Irish Daily Mail

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.

AN AWARD WINNER BEFORE IT WAS EVEN PUBLISHED. A FEMINIST GOTHIC SUSPENSE THAT WILL KEEP YOU UP ALL NIGHT 'Beautifully crafted ... wholly convincing in its historical detail and tone' SARAH GILMARTIN, author of Dinner Party West Virginia, 1897. After the sudden death of young Zona Shue only a few months after her impromptu wedding, her mother Mary Jane has a vision - she was killed. And by none other than her new husband, Trout, the handsome blacksmith beloved in their small Southern town.Trout is put on trial but no one believes he's guilty apart from Mary Jane and the eccentric Lucy Frye - an unmarried woman who always suspected Trout's power over her friend. 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 play with fire and reveal Zona's greatest secret. But it's Zona herself, from beyond the grave, who still has one last revelation to make.Based on a real trial and masterfully playing with the tropes of the Southern Gothic, Aoife Fitzpatrick delivers a searing feminist historical novel like no other. It is a first novel of rare and dazzling brilliance to be read with your heart in your mouth and chills down your spine to the final, haunting page.

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