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Falling Out Of Heaven
Hauntingly told and emotionally charged, this is an immense story of consuming addiction and the betrayal of trust.
Gabriel O'Rourke seemingly has everything: a loving wife, an adoring young son, a worthwhile job. He is rooted in a community, is part of a family, has a home. Yet, gradually, his world slowly pulls apart, until Gabriel finds himself homeless and destitute, living out of rubbish skips on the street. In a psychotic haze he is admitted into a secure unit, his body addled by alcohol, his mind broken. Here, by confronting the blighting reality of his own alcoholism, Gabriel is forced finally to unearth the muddled spectre of the past: the black betrayals by those around him, his traumatic relationship with his father, and the true darkness of some obsessions.
Learning to navigate a landscape pockmarked with trauma to undergo a journey of painstaking absolution and halting reconstruction, Gabriel understands that only by untangling the mistakes of the past can he hope to reclaim his future.
Gabriel O'Rourke seemingly has everything: a loving wife, an adoring young son, a worthwhile job. He is rooted in a community, is part of a family, has a home. Yet, gradually, his world slowly pulls apart, until Gabriel finds himself homeless and destitute, living out of rubbish skips on the street. In a psychotic haze he is admitted into a secure unit, his body addled by alcohol, his mind broken. Here, by confronting the blighting reality of his own alcoholism, Gabriel is forced finally to unearth the muddled spectre of the past: the black betrayals by those around him, his traumatic relationship with his father, and the true darkness of some obsessions.
Learning to navigate a landscape pockmarked with trauma to undergo a journey of painstaking absolution and halting reconstruction, Gabriel understands that only by untangling the mistakes of the past can he hope to reclaim his future.
- GenresMental Health
336 pages, Paperback
First published May 12, 2010
6 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
John Lynch
3 books15 followersJohn Lynch (born 26 December 1961) is an Irish actor and novelist. He won the AFI (AACTA) Award for Best Actor for the 1995 film Angel Baby. His other film appearances include Cal (1984), The Secret Garden (1993), In the Name of the Father (1993) and Sliding Doors (1998). He has also written two novels, Torn Water (2005) and Falling Out of Heaven (2010).
John Lynch was born in Corrinshego, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. He attended St Colman's College, Newry. He began acting in Irish language-medium plays at school during the early years of the conflict in Northern Ireland. He is the eldest of five children of an Irish father and an Italian mother from Trivento (Campobasso).
Lynch is also a novelist. His first novel, Torn Water, was published in November 2005 by the Fourth Estate, a literary imprint of Harper and Collins, and his second, Falling Out of Heaven, was published on 13 May 2010 by the same publisher.
John Lynch was born in Corrinshego, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. He attended St Colman's College, Newry. He began acting in Irish language-medium plays at school during the early years of the conflict in Northern Ireland. He is the eldest of five children of an Irish father and an Italian mother from Trivento (Campobasso).
Lynch is also a novelist. His first novel, Torn Water, was published in November 2005 by the Fourth Estate, a literary imprint of Harper and Collins, and his second, Falling Out of Heaven, was published on 13 May 2010 by the same publisher.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 31, 2023
Honestly, one of the most difficult books I have read with regard to content and themes.
February 1, 2016
It's widely known by my friends that I like depressing books. Having said that, even for me, this book was A LOT! Very good, but quite relentless - definitely not advisable to read if you're having a bad day!
February 24, 2025
This book will offer you a visceral view into the protagonist's singularly cruel hell, but does so in such a beautiful way that you can't put it down even as each chapter deals blow after devastating blow. The exquisite prose will drag you through to the end, and you will be rewarded for it.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews