Catchlights

An Irish vagrant with a strange ability wanders Kew Gardens. She knows that the fine weather is going to break and the impending rain casts her mind back to a riverbank where a shady fisherman once asked for her help.

The same fisherman, years later, runs into a childhood friend and becomes intrigued by his wife. She in turn is charmed by his boldness and his confidence. One day she goes out for a walk and never returns.

In another time, in another place, a photographer notices two ghostly figures - of a man and a woman - on pictures developed from his vintage lens. The images become clearer with each roll of film, but his dogged investigation of the mystery could cost him dearly.

So spool out the lives in Catchlights: the past contains the present and future; shallow and deep acts of cruelty, love, selfishness and kindness reverberate for years.

“Each story is a perfectly formed jewel . . . vivid characterization, ingenious plotting and intelligent structuring amount to a most engaging read as we put the jigsaw of these lives back together”

-- LIZ NUGENT
These stories are linked in ingenious ways . . . Clever, literary and intriguing -- Sue Leonard Irish Examiner
Delicate, unsparing, often strange, always compelling -- Gráinne Murphy West Cork People

Niamh Prior studied English with Film and TV Studies at Brunel University London, and later Creative Writing at University College Cork where her PhD was funded by the Irish Research Council. Her poetry and fiction have been published in journals including Penny Dreadful, Southword and the Stinging Fly. She lives near the sea in County Cork.

An Irish vagrant with a strange ability wanders Kew Gardens. She knows that the fine weather is going to break and the impending rain casts her mind back to a riverbank where a shady fisherman once asked for her help.The same fisherman, years later, runs into a childhood friend and becomes intrigued by his wife. She in turn is charmed by his boldness and his confidence. One day she goes out for a walk and never returns.In another time, in another place, a photographer notices two ghostly figures - of a man and a woman - on pictures developed from his vintage lens. The images become clearer with each roll of film, but his dogged investigation of the mystery could cost him dearly.So spool out the lives in Catchlights : the past contains the present and future; shallow and deep acts of cruelty, love, selfishness and kindness reverberate for years.

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