Mouthing

Paperback Published on: 17/04/2025
Price: £10.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Mouthing
A captivating small town read
Thankyou to the publisher for my copy. I was entranced by this book, which read like villagers being interviewed or telling their stories and thoughts, The... READ MORE
Victoria  Berwick
Mouthing
Gorgeous
I loved the structure of this book. The kaleidoscope of narratives and personalities creates such a nuanced tapestry of the town and its inhabitants; unusu... READ MORE
Benny at Barnet
Mouthing
A Rich Character Novel
In this gem of a debut, the reader meets an eclectic cast of characters - all residents of Ballyrowan. The story opens in 1962 and then it takes us through... READ MORE
Jen at Windsor
Mouthing
I don’t really know how to feel about this book…
Some parts of the book were brilliantly crafted and sensitively written. However, at other points I felt confused with the narrative and detached from the ... READ MORE
Josh (Waterstones Chichester)

Synopsis

The bestselling Irish debut novel – a multigenerational portrait of small-town life bursting with caustic wit – for fans of Jon McGregor, Elizabeth Strout and Paul Murray

Welcome to Ballyrowan: a village built out of stories. Stories about the girl who got herself into trouble and disappeared to America, the brother and sister who both went mad, the priest who tried to help them and the doctor who had them committed, about your man going off with a young one half his age, the child he left behind, the neighbour who took her in, and what was said and done about it afterwards . . .

‘Engrossing, funny, delightfully wicked’ Irish Times

‘A novel for anyone who ever wondered what the neighbours are really up to behind closed doors’ Jan Carson, author of The Raptures

‘Full of disgrace, inherited trauma and family secrets. It will make you laugh - because if you didn't, you'd surely cry’ Aingeala Flannery

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
  • ISBN: 9780241997987
  • Number of pages: 256
  • Dimensions: 197 x 129 x 18 mm
  • Weight: 186g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Mouthing
This be the novel
This is a novel presented in a first person narrative; with the residents of an Irish village telling their history. In this sense, it’s a disjointed narr... READ MORE
Kev McCready
Mouthing
A story of a town told through generations
Set in the fictional rural village of Ballyrowan, “Mouthing” takes the form of short interviews or excerpts from the points of view of various characters l... READ MORE
Clodagh Ní Mhuirí
Mouthing
A unique reflection on life in rural Ireland
I really enjoyed this very unique book which depicts the lives of those living in a rural small Irish town. The writing style is a stream of consciousness ... READ MORE
Avril Lacey
Mouthing
'pleasingly acerbic wit and a sharp eye for human nature balanced with compassion'
I liked the premise of Orla Mackey’s Mouthing. It put me in mind of Robert Seethaler’s The Field in which the dead remember their village, filled with all ... READ MORE
Susan Osborne
Mouthing
Totally immersive
I feel like I have lived a life in this Irish village through the eyes of these characters. So clever to see the same events from different perspectives an... READ MORE
Laura Meddings
Mouthing
Captivating debut reminiscent of Donal Ryan
Mouthing, the debut novel of Orla Mackey, is the story of a people, the inhabitants of the fictional Ballyrowan. It is a multi-generational series of mono... READ MORE
Ben Dutton
Mouthing
Startlingly unique
Startlingly unique. I don’t often proclaim this about a book but this was like nothing I’ve ever read before. A scathing/heartbreaking/harsh insight to cou... READ MORE
Trish Hannon
Mouthing
a look into small town ireland
a quick and easy read about members of a fictional irish town called ballyrowan. the first two chapters had me interested in the way the characters spoke, ... READ MORE
Gabrielles Library