Few and Far Between
Published on 9. April 2026
Book
Hardback
368 pages
978-1-5299-3675-9 (ISBN)
Description
From the award-winning author of The Raptures and The Fire Starters, a magically surreal novel about history, identity and redemption
'A stunningly original novel... one of the most imaginative and talented Irish writers at work today' Roisin O'Donnell, author of Nesting
'No writer captures the absurdity and beauty of life quite like [Jan Carson] does' Sara Baume, author of Seven Steeples
'Warm, sharp and gloriously funny' Sarah Moss, author of Ripeness
'Her best book yet' Heather Parry, author of Carrion Crow
___
It's summer 2017 and the last few residents of the Lough Neagh Archipelago are facing imminent eviction. The flood planned to combat a devastating algae outbreak will submerge their homes, forcing them back to the Mainland for the first time in fifty years.
Robert-John and Marion Connolly came to the islands as children in the 1970s, following their mercurial father, an anthropologist studying the unique society that had developed there. For many, the Neagh Archipelago represented a utopia, a chance to be free of the prejudices and history of Troubles era Northern Ireland. But perhaps this utopia wasn't all that it seemed.
Marion and Robert-John have grown accustomed to their haunted existence on the Ark, monitoring the mysterious Far Side, where ghostly figures linger and the land swallows secrets whole. How will they cope with a new life on the Mainland? Is it possible to leave the past behind? And will the Ark ever let them go...
_____
'No one writes like Jan Carson. Surreal times call for surreal stories, and Few and Far Between packages history, horror and redemption in her signature combination of humour and grace.' Sheila Armstrong, author of Falling Animals
'Jan Carson is a born storyteller: her work is so imaginative, whimsical, mischievous and brave, but tender and curious too - you never know where she's going to take you next, so reading her is always an adventure.' Lisa McInerney, author of The Glorious Heresies
'Jan Carson is a unique and very special writer, one of the greatest of the modern fabulists' Donal Ryan, author of Heart be at Peace
'One of the most exciting and original Northern Irish writers of her generation.' Sunday Times
'A stunningly original novel... one of the most imaginative and talented Irish writers at work today' Roisin O'Donnell, author of Nesting
'No writer captures the absurdity and beauty of life quite like [Jan Carson] does' Sara Baume, author of Seven Steeples
'Warm, sharp and gloriously funny' Sarah Moss, author of Ripeness
'Her best book yet' Heather Parry, author of Carrion Crow
___
It's summer 2017 and the last few residents of the Lough Neagh Archipelago are facing imminent eviction. The flood planned to combat a devastating algae outbreak will submerge their homes, forcing them back to the Mainland for the first time in fifty years.
Robert-John and Marion Connolly came to the islands as children in the 1970s, following their mercurial father, an anthropologist studying the unique society that had developed there. For many, the Neagh Archipelago represented a utopia, a chance to be free of the prejudices and history of Troubles era Northern Ireland. But perhaps this utopia wasn't all that it seemed.
Marion and Robert-John have grown accustomed to their haunted existence on the Ark, monitoring the mysterious Far Side, where ghostly figures linger and the land swallows secrets whole. How will they cope with a new life on the Mainland? Is it possible to leave the past behind? And will the Ark ever let them go...
_____
'No one writes like Jan Carson. Surreal times call for surreal stories, and Few and Far Between packages history, horror and redemption in her signature combination of humour and grace.' Sheila Armstrong, author of Falling Animals
'Jan Carson is a born storyteller: her work is so imaginative, whimsical, mischievous and brave, but tender and curious too - you never know where she's going to take you next, so reading her is always an adventure.' Lisa McInerney, author of The Glorious Heresies
'Jan Carson is a unique and very special writer, one of the greatest of the modern fabulists' Donal Ryan, author of Heart be at Peace
'One of the most exciting and original Northern Irish writers of her generation.' Sunday Times
Reviews / Votes
Warm, sharp and gloriously funny, Jan Carson writes exuberant prose about difficult people in interesting times * Sarah Moss, author of Ripeness * A stunningly original novel told with warmth and humour. The story of an island sanctuary, it celebrates all the joys and challenges of living in a community, and should further cement Carson's reputation as one of the most imaginative and talented Irish writers at work today. * Roisin O'Donnell, author of Nesting * Jan Carson's understanding of, and love for, complicated human people is unmatched in contemporary literature. In Few and Far Between she turns that canny eye to the long effects of, and attempts to recover from, The Troubles, and what results is her best book yet. * Heather Parry, author of Carrion Crow * A joy to read... No writer captures the absurdity and beauty of life quite like [Jan Carson] does, and with this novel she has created something especially prescient, a fictional microcosm that speaks so powerfully about the troubled state of the planet, and of society. I revelled in her attention to detail, to the unexpected, to glorious oddity. * Sara Baume, author of Spill Simmer Falter Wither * Few and Far Between is Jan Carson's most ambitious novel yet - bold in its counter-factual conception, confident in its scope, yet intimate in the knowledge of its characters, all of whom are accorded dignity and a quiet humanity. It's also very, very funny. * Lucy Caldwell, author of These Days * No one writes like Jan Carson. Surreal times call for surreal stories, and Few and Far Between packages history, horror and redemption in her signature combination of humour and grace. * Sheila Armstrong, author of Falling Animals * Few and Far Between, is Jan Carson at her very best, with her trademark wit, exceptional turn of phrase and keen eye for character... A beguilingly original work on family, community and connection, what holds us together, breaks us apart, and allows us to start again. Unmissable. * Olivia Fitzsimons, author of The Quiet Whispers Never Stop * Haunting and darkly funny. Jan Carson has the fearlessness and bounce of Anne Enright and Kate Atkinson, and a wide-ranging, endlessly surprising scope. Few and Far Between is moody and mysterious, a gothic like no other. * Flynn Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Transworld Publishers Ltd
Dimensions
Height: 222 mm
Width: 145 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
465 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5299-3675-9 (9781529936759)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
04/2026
Transworld Digital
€12.99
Available for download
Person
Jan Carson is a writer based in Belfast. She has published three novels, three short story collections and two micro-fiction collections. Her novel The Fire Starters won the EU Prize for Literature for Ireland 2019. Jan's latest novel, The Raptures was published by Doubleday in early 2022 and was subsequently shortlisted for the An Post Irish Novel of the Year and Kerry Group Novel of the Year. Her short story collection Quickly, While They Still Have Horses was published by Doubleday (UK) in April 2024 and Scribner (US) in July 2024. Her writing has been aired on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and RTE.
She is the Seamus Heaney Centre Fellow at Queen's University Belfast 2025 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her first stage play, an adaptation of the children's classic, The Velveteen Rabbit will be produced by Replay Theatre Company at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast in March 2025. Her next novel, Few and Far Between is forthcoming in early 2026.
She is the Seamus Heaney Centre Fellow at Queen's University Belfast 2025 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her first stage play, an adaptation of the children's classic, The Velveteen Rabbit will be produced by Replay Theatre Company at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast in March 2025. Her next novel, Few and Far Between is forthcoming in early 2026.