Though the Bodies Fall

by Noel O'Regan

Micheál Burns lives alone in his family's bungalow at the end of Kerry Head in Ireland. It is a picturesque place, but the cliffs have a darker side to for generations they have been a suicide black spot. Micheál's mother saw the saving of these lost souls - these visitors - as her spiritual duty, and now, in the wreckage of his life, Micheál finds himself continuing her work. When his sisters tell him that they want to sell the land, he must choose between his siblings and the visitors, a future or a past.

Genres: Fiction, Ireland, Contemporary, Irish Literature, Mental Health, Literary Fiction, Audiobook

264 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2023

About the author

Born in Tralee, County Kerry, on the south-west coast of Ireland, Noel is the recipient of a number of awards, including an Arts Council Next Generation Artist Award. His short fiction has appeared in publications such as The Stinging Fly, Banshee, Ambit and The London Magazine.

His debut novel is Though the Bodies Fall (Granta Books, 2023).

Reviews

[Ruben · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2023 Booker judges must have overlooked this novel because it's Irish and features a dead mother.

Seriously though, it is a good book, about a young man unable to leave his family home atop the cliffs of the Irish West Coast, even after his parents have died and sisters long left. The reason he can't leave are the 'visitors' that tend to seek out these parts to jump off the cliffs to commit suicide. Micheál regards it as his duty to offer help, try and talk them out of it. But it gradually becomes clear there are other reasons as well.

I don't know how Ireland has so many good novelists...

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the eARC.

[Alwynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Noel O’Regan’s acutely-observed debut novel centres on Micheál Burns who lives alone except for his border collie Sammy. Micheál has returned to his former childhood home, an isolated bungalow originally his grandparents’ house, handed down to his parents, and finally to Micheál and his two sisters. Its surroundings are wild and beautiful, dotted with an array of glorious wildflowers, but it has a sinister history. It’s close by the cliffs of Ireland’s Kerry Head, a place that’s attracted generations of the desperate and suicidal. Over time Micheál’s mother took on the role of rescuer, attempting to persuade the cliffs’ ‘visitors’ to embrace life instead of death. Now Micheál in flight from his failed marriage, has returned to take up her cause, consumed by a sense of spiritual duty.

O’Regan’s strongly influenced by writers like Annie Proulx and John McGahern, fascinated by setting and atmosphere, ancestral legacies and generational trauma. His slow-moving, meticulously-detailed narrative is lyrical and carefully constructed: at its best a persuasive and moving depiction of fractured families and community dynamics. Although I sometimes found the underlying scenario a little too contrived for my taste, and I’m not really the right kind of reader for O’Regan’s brand of introspective, literary fiction. But for those who enjoy the work of authors like Claire Keegan this is likely to be a far better fit.

Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Granta for an ARC

Rating: 2.5

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book just completely ruined me and is, without a doubt, going to be in my top 5 books of this year.

Micheal Burns lives in a beautiful house in Kerry Head in Ireland. However, as beautiful as the house and view are, they hide a darker history - their home has been a notorious suicide spot for a number of years. When he was young, Micheal's mother and father took it upon themselves to help these 'visitors', trying to talk them down and away from their impending actions.

As the eldest child, Micheal was then encouraged to help his mother and the impact of these actions run right through Micheal's whole life.

The story is told over two timelines with Micheal's story in the present day and also as a child growing up. The dual timeline works so effectively here as we see Micheal in the present day still trying to help the 'visitors' and the indescribable impact this has on his life and relationships. But we also see Micheal as a child, brought up and encouraged as a child to help these people along with his mother when his father passes away. The burden of this on such a young boy is unthinkable and the impact of it clearly lives on, yet he cannot tear himself away from it.

For me, the issues tackled here about our responsibilities to our fellow men and women, the burden that this places on us and at what point is the suffering of others not our responsibility. At what point do we need to prioritise our own well-being rather than that of others? Can we help others if we can't help ourselves?

Thanks to Netgalley and Granta Publications for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Aoife Cassidy McM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another excellent Irish debut novel, this time from Kerry writer Noel O’Regan, who was nominated for the Newcomer of the Year award this year.

Set on a picturesque headland above Ballyheigue in Co Kerry, Micheál Burns lives alone in his family’s bungalow. The cliffs around the house have a darker side though: for generations they have been a suicide black spot. Micheál’s mother saw the saving of the suicidal who visited the cliffs as her spiritual duty and now Micheál finds himself continuing her work. When his sisters Áine and Saoirse tell him that they want to sell the land, Micheál has a choice to make.

In haunting and evocative prose, O’Regan paints a picture of a family torn apart by their mother, whose obsession with saving souls led her to destroy her own family in the process. The story builds slowly, with a dual timeline - Micheál in his youth, and as a man in his forties reflecting on his life and past mistakes. The story builds slowly but once it ignites, I found it hard to put down.

The novel portrays Ireland as it was, with all its religiosity and superstition and duty and guilt, and the remnants of it that sit uncomfortably in a modern world where we still need and crave community and light. He perfectly renders the desolate beauty of coastal Kerry and its cliffs and jagged coastline.

If you enjoy contemporary Irish writing from the likes of Audrey Magee, Louise Kennedy or Sally Rooney (and many more I could name), this book is one you’ll appreciate. 4/5⭐️

*Many thanks to @gillhessltd and @grantabooks for the #gifted copy. Though the Bodies Fall is available in all good bookshops. As always, this is an honest review.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book description doesn't really cover the content. I found it far more interesting than I thought actually. So yes, it's about suicide. But it's also very much about family relations and love, and perhaps most of all about a sense of duty that Micheal feels and that shapes the life he ends up living.
Another interesting Irish novel! Please keep them coming :-)
Thank you Granta and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Elizabeth Sorrell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not that I take my reading challenge goal that seriously but I was 4 books ahead of schedule when I started this book, which I really wanted to read. I am now 1 book behind because of this literary paralysis caused by this.

I loved the premise and the implications the dilemma has on this self-imposed sense of duty to do the right thing and be there for vulnerable people, even to your own detriment.

The overall lack of MOVEMENT throughout the plot killed me and it shattered my beloved premise. I have learned about myself that I need to read books where things happen.

[Kate Downey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked the downward spiral, how the mind can fall too. It's pretty clever. The abyss is everywhere, innit? Great look at that great claw of religious belief and saving grace, at how parental influence can drive you Larkin, and how communication failure can direct your path off that headland into oblivion. But also how connection can sit us on the edge to take in the view.
There is a dog who is a very good dog. Top class writing and I look forward to more from O'Regan.

[Denisa T. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nádherný text, dlouho mě nic takhle nezasáhlo...

[Lady Fancifull · Rating 5 out of 5]

When kindness turns cruel

What a strange, melancholic and tender piece of writing this is. Here is the story of a dysfunctional family, and particularly of one member of it, Michaél Burns The family dysfunction is an excess of kindness, a compulsion to save souls. This had started when Michaél’s grandparents moved to a remote house on a clifftop edge at Kerryhead. The high cliff edge offered a kind of magnet to those deeply troubled, unable to go on, and the way to end all suffering.

Michael’s grandparents took on the role, unwillingly, of being guardian angels to suffering souls, but this was made a mission by his mother.

In a completely different kind of book, a completely different approach, Dickens’ Bleak House caricatures a similar kind of woman, dedicated to saving ‘unfortunates’ Mrs Jellyby devotes all her care and attention to setting up missions in Africa. Her philanthropy neglects her own children. She is one of Dickens’ wonderful comedic characters.

O’ Regan’s approach does not caricature, but searingly engages with the concepts of duty, guilt and service coming from a place of dysfunction.

We slip back and forth through timelines. There is the long past, when both of the parents were alive, and
Michaél and his two younger sisters, Aine and Saoirse were little. Other timelines explore how as the children became a little older – but still, far too young for such a venture, their mother inculcated guilt, duty, service, self-denial and a pathological need to be the rescuer into her children.

Now, Michaél is a middle-aged man, living alone in the house, apart from his dog, Sammy. The building is neglected, Michaél neglects himself, barely able to sleep, or to leave the house, so obsessive is the compulsion to keep alert for any troubled souls planning on suicide. The portrait of Christ, ‘the blood-lit portrait on the wall’ is the lurid reminder of his Christian duty and family mission.

This is a beautifully written, skilful book, gently drawing the reader in to its revelations. Evocation of place, is exceptional. I will certainly keep my eye out for O’Regan. A wonderful first novel.

[Melanie Caldicott · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really interesting premise and was thought-provoking in how suicide raises issues of responsibility and guilt for the living. The bonds between Michael's family were well fleshed out and believable. The nature writing and sense of place were vivid and beautifully written. The narrative strand needed to slow down a little for me though, it tripped along a little even when dealing with intense emotion and deep issues which left me feeling a little disconnected and not really invested. A great debut though and an interesting read.
This honest review is given with thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

[Ivo Skopal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Irsko, počasí, moře, příroda, útesy. Návštěvníci, kteří se rozhodli skočit. A rodina, která si jejich záchranu vytyčila jako poslání, i kdyby to znamenalo utéct před vlastním životem. Přenádherné to bylo a kniha se mnou bude ještě dlouho. Cit, se kterým byl příběh napsán, mi vyrazil dech. Po přečtení jsem chtěl začít znovu. To snad mluví za vše.

[Veromika · Rating 4 out of 5]

The point where grief meets resentment produces some of the best stories. ‘Though the Bodies Fall’ by Noel O’Regan is a rich exploration of the universal themes of family, existence, religion, altruism, love, grief, resentment, and forgiveness. This book is beyond typical conceptualization and it deserves more recognition. I was in awe of the plot, the writing, and the characters.

the visitors and their cliff

There stands a bungalow on a cliff, beautific and strong, withstanding fierce storms, synchronous with the winds and the waves — almost natural, as though it exists unto itself, not made by any man. Ever so often, adrift souls wander up the hill, drawn to edge of the cliff, beckoned by the waves below. Some fall. Some don’t. It is up to the residents of the bungalow if they wish to intervene and change the fate of these ‘visitors’.

When his grandmother is deemed frailed and unable to live by herself, Micheál Burns (pronounced mee-hawl in Gaelic) and his family moves to the cliff-side bungalow to support her. He settles into his life at his scenic home near a coastal village. His parents are working in the local schools, he is making new friends and joining the local hurling team. Then the first visitor appears.

Micheál and his two sisters, Áine (awn-ya) and Saoirse (seer-sha), grow up watching their parents deal with the visitors when they come. To Micheál, this looks like important work and he longs to be part of their ritual. Their efforts to intercept the visitors and persuade them to give life another chance seem heroic.

His parents were a team, was how he thought of them… And if at times it felt to Micheal like he and his sisters were on the outside of their team – or on the subs bench, anyway – he hoped that helping them while they helped the visitors would one day earn him a place on the inside.

When his father dies from an unexpected cardiac arrest, Micheál’s mother chooses him as the successor for dealing with the visitors. Initially exalted, he soon realizes the insidiousness of this altruistic work. It doesn’t take long for Micheál to resent his new role and reject his mother’s samaritan beliefs.

Why then does he return to the bungalow on the cliff and resume the very role he rejected? The Micheál in the present is on the precipice of turning into his mother, or maybe he already has. The story combs the present with the past to show how what was once rejected has now become Micheál’s fate. Can he break through?

micheál’s demons

Who hasn’t been bogged down by parental expectations? It’s the first burden most of us tend to bear, silently and often voluntarily. Micheál is no different. Throughout the novel, he wrestles with the weight of his mother’s expectations – rebels and rejects it even, but ends up finding a twisted purpose in them. He builds his adult life on the back of the bungalow in the cliff and the silent job it offers. He stacks the memories and relationships of his life on this repressed past. When the past resurfaces, it tears through his new life, destroying all his efforts to break away and as a compensation offers refuge in a visage of the past itself.

After all, what had he to escape to now? He had failed spectacularly at life. Here, at least, was purpose.

I initially struggled to understand the depth and trauma the Burns siblings face. The decision to confront people who arrive at the cliffs to kill themselves seems kind. Micheál’s parents want to make them pause and give life another chance, if possible. Over the course of the novel, we see people who have been grateful for this second chance. When such an intervention is literally saving lives, how can it have anything but goodness as its outcome?

Yet, as the story goes, we get to see the psychological stress this responsibility places on the bearer. The more lives you save, the more lives you think you ought to save. To be able to intercept the visitors, one needs to be present and anticipate them. To anticipate them is to live with an undercurrent of darkness.

The mere possibility of a visitor appearing when you are away from the bungalow scares you. You are arrested by the house and the cliffs and boxed into the role of their keeper. Your life becomes a frozen moment of anticipation. You live for those who wish to not live anymore. God, that is terrifying.

the lives touched by the cliff

Micheál leaves for college as soon as he finishes his school, eager to escape, without sparing a backward glance to his two sisters, Áine and Saoirse. Barely an adult himself, all Micheál wants is to escape far enough from his mother’s reach that she can nevers call him to deal with the visitors.

The siblings each have their own way of dealing with their mother - her absences, her devotion towards the visitors and her superhuman expectations of them. Micheál runs away, Áine survives and becomes stronger, Saoirse retreats into herself. I found Áine and Saoirse incredibly strong and generous. They have managed to build a life beyond their mother and forgive their brother. In the end, if not for them there would be no salvation for Micheál.

Nadine and Brenda represent the romantic entanglements of Micheál. He looses one due to his insecurity and never approaches another in fear. When I look at Micheál’s life it feels as though he never gave himself a chance to build something substantial. He lived as though he was on standby, aware of a possibility that any moment now a visitor might need him.

Micheál’s mother, Aileen, on the other hand is elusive, giving a feeling of an apparition rather than a person. We know her only in her capacity of being the saviour of the cliffs. We get to know pitifully less about her life outside - the fact which haunts Micheál till the end. Áine once jokingly asks Micheál that isn’t it the daughters who is supposed to turn into their mothers. He laughs it off, though we the reader see an uncomfortable truth in her quip. Is Micheál turning into his mother?

will Micheál ever leave the cliffs?

We, as the reader, know what Micheál needs to do. He needs to get away from the bungalow if he's to have any chance of living healthily. But his declining mental health, his leadenness, and his depression has made the cliffs his last refuge. He is unemployed, his marriage has failed, he's estranged from his family, and he has no friends. He sees the visitors and the act of saving them as his only purpose, for which he can muster any energy.

You’re not helping these people, you’re hiding in them; you’re using them.

He could hold on to the hands extended by his sisters and crawl out of this abyss or let the abyss swallow him. What choice does Micheál make in the end?

the things that leave a lasting impression

The novel is a massive creative effort and it reflects in its intelligent and empathetic prose. The description of the cliffs and its surroundings are deep and repetitive, emphasising the role they play in the story. They are a character in themselves.

Some of my favourite parts of the writing were Micheál’s subtle rituals that give us more information about him than his words. Micheál adjusting the time on the broken porcelain clock before he can leave the attic and Micheál’s habits of noting down the birds he watches and the ships that docks near the cliff — both tells us about Micheál’s desire to mark his presence and leave behind evidence of his life. Saoirse remarks that the ships and the birds indicate his desire to leave the bungalow, but for me it felt as though he was desperate to tie the things that touch his life to reality, document them and ensure that he hasn’t lived in vain.

In some parts the writing falters and breaks its poetic tone to give us some information it thinks we need in a rush. Those were my only complaints. We're told sometimes, rather than shown. But this in no way reduces the brilliance of the novel.

footnotes:
April 17 is an important day for Micheál. And that's also the day I finished the novel. Super eerie.
The cover is one of the best I've ever seen. The anthropomorphic bungalow seems to be staring right into my heart.

[Miki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit that I initially thought it was the premise of the story that drew me to it. However, after reading it, I can confess that it was the cover. The cover has a house located precipitously close to a massive cliff of which the edges from the profile of a face. It’s ominous. And that’s what sold me.
I can now confirm for anyone who is curious about this story that is indeed ominous. It’s a dark and—at times—bleak look at a young man’s life as he becomes a guard who works 24/7 to ensure that no one dies by falling off the cliff beside his family home whether on purpose or not.

Initially, Micheál Burns’ parents diligently watch over their property for people whom they call ‘visitors’. However, eventually Micheál becomes the next in line to inherit the task—his mother’s decision—even though Micheál secretly wants the job: partly to annoy his sister, partly because he’s a curious young boy (Yes, he takes on the guardian position at a young age), and partly because there is the desire in him to play an important role in someone’s life…Or many peoples’ lives.
Micheál and his mother’s decision has long-lasting consequences and wrecks havoc on every relationship that Micheál has. As his sister’s push him to agree to selling the land after their mother has passed away, Micheál must contend with the warped beliefs he has about himself, his mother, and his purpose in life.

The story is told in dual timelines: the past and present until the past timeline catches up to the present and readers have fully gained insight into Micheál’s history and those whom he has loved and lost until, by the end of the story, he is alone…Except for his loyal dog, Sammy. It’s a slow-moving, psychologically twisted look at mother-child relationships, hero complexes, and questions about why we feel that death is the only escape. What readers are treated to is a emotionally-charged look at one man’s journey to discovery about what it truly means to live for others.

If you’re a fan of Irish literature, reading about the complexities of human nature, slow-burns, or psychologically dark fiction, then this is for you! I have to say that I’m really looking forward to reading what Noel O’Regan publishes next!

Many thanks to Granta Publications and NetGalley for allowing me to read an ARC of Noel O’Regan’s Though the Bodies Fall. It was a fantastic story!

[Bosorka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atmosféricky vypodobněný kus irské země, je velmi znát, že k němu je autor pevně připoután. Přitažlivost pádu se čte dobře, ač jde o téma velmi těžké a neveselé. Sebeobětování až skoro do sebezničení, rodina, vztahy obecně, vina a výčitky, neschopnost utéct. Jsem velmi zvědavá na další autorovu knihu. A asi se potřebuji podívat do Irska, do Kerry

[Bertine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I feel a little indifferent. I think it is because of the simple and quick writing style. It makes the words hurt less. But a more flowery style would have made this book really heavy. It makes me believe everyone can change. There were no tears for me, but really real characters.

[Aodán · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 I bleedin love a book where nothing happens (complimentary)

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

A good solid debut! I absolutely love the premise of this novel - a couple move into a bungalow atop a cliff in a stunningly beautiful part of County Kerry, Ireland, surrounded by sea views and wildflower meadows. However, they soon realise it's also a spot where a number of people come to commit suicide every year. The couple dedicate themselves to helping these people.

Now we have their Grandson, Micheal, in his 40s living alone on the clifftop. He's had a troubled relationship with this place and everything it brings with it - from a strained relationship with his mother and sisters, to the breakdown of his marriage, and the sheer sense of duty to the strangers who still continue to visit every year. Now his sisters want to sell the land and be done with the place, forcing Micheal to choose between the past and future.

Again - such a fantastic premise. I'm sure some will pick this up expecting it to be relentlessly depressing but it actually isn't. In fact, I'd have loved a bit more of a deeper sense of emotion from it. I loved the author's description of the landscape, but was less taken with the constant mentions of TV shows and other modern references (this is a general annoyance of mine in any book) and the hum-drum dialogue. This is a good book, but I do feel like I wanted it tighter, less focused on the numerous friendships and relationships of Micheal's and more of the strangers who came to this place which for me was the most fascinating part.

I look forward to seeing what the author does next.

[Ben Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Noel O'Regan's debut novel launches another strong Irish voice into contemporary fiction. Micheál Burns grows up in a bungalow on Kerry Head. The cliffs outside the doorstep provide a stunning view - but draw other people besides the ramblers - the suicidal, drawn to the craggy edge. His parents try and talk these lost souls down, and as Micheál grows up, he learns to help too. Now an adult, his siblings want to sell, but Micheál is torn between helping those souls who have wandered here, and those that have lived here.

The story here is told in two alternating timeframes - Micheál's youth and adulthood - and the switching provides insight and connection. The writing is incredibly strong, heartfelt and wise. It is a modern novel - references to American sitcoms etc. ground the novel in its place. Then there is the thing that Irish writers do so well - the sense of that place. You can smell the soil, see the sea, feel the air. The characters are so well drawn by novels end you are sad to no longer be spending time in their company.

This is a very strong debut, which marks O'Regan out as a voice to watch. It is a novel that rests in the mind after the last page is turned. Great stuff.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

[Graham Connors · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a well written novel! I loved the central character of Micheál and how O'Regan crafts him throughout the novel. I also loved the structure, chapters alternating between the "now" and the "then" of Micheál's life. Also, the setting, O'Regan paints such a beautiful picture of Irelands south west coast and County Kerry!

I don't want to discuss this too much as I want you to discover it yourself. There is a haunting beauty and a loneliness to this novel, which invokes both sympathy and curiousity. At least it did for me. I did have a minor quibble with the narrative, but nothing that made me stop reading this beautiful book (or giving it 5 stars!).

Would I recommend this novel. Absolutely. One of the great Irish novels of the last few years.

[Milly Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

A debut novel that leaves you questioning so many things. As with all novels by Irish writers the sense of place comes through so clearly. You can see the waves, the cliffs, the birds; you can hear the silence and the birdsong. Michael, our narrator, tells his story in two timelines - the present and as a child growing up. As a child he grew up in a house in Kerry Head, a house he has now returned to as an adult. The setting is beautiful but the area has a darker history - it is a well known suicide spot. His parents would try to help these 'visitors' as they always referred to them, they would go to them and try to talk them away from the cliff edge, they would try to save their souls. When his father dies, his mother gets twelve year old Michael to help her - something that has an emotional impact on him that he carries with him. As an adult he is now alone in the house, constantly watching out for the 'visitors'. However, his sisters now want to sell the house that almost ruined their lives because their mother seemed to always put the 'visitors' before them. It is only through flashbacks in his memory, a reunion with one of his sisters that Michael comes to realise the damage that not only his departure as a young man, but their mothers actions did to his sisters. What came through for me was an exploration of the cost of putting others before ourselves, our families. How can we be of service to others is we are broken ourselves. A super debut.

[James Durkan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though The Bodies Fall / Noel O’Regan

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~ Near the end of the headland, the southern flank steepens sharply; from the road it looks like the stone-fenced fields slide straight down into the sea, as if the headland is trying to shed all that clings to its skin… ~

I go pick up another Irish writer, and all I can think of is Mrs Doyle saying “Maybe I like the misery.”

This is really good, but it’s just miserable. Michael called back to his home due to his upbringing, to be there for the lost souls. The ones on Kerry Head. As his parents did before him, and his grandparents before that.

You want the best for them all, but can see how they’re all fucked - Michael, Áine, Saoirse, Nadine you just want to call out to.

Michael lives, but does he? I hope the ending brings it forward. You kind of go through the book and think the inevitable will happen, but it doesn’t. Not that you want it to. But it seemed to be where it was going and curveballsed.

Would read more O’Regan, but this was a brilliantly miserable read. Would recommend for January.

Picked up from the TBR Pile - Graiguenamanagh, Co. Kilkenny.
Bought from @woodbinebooksireland, Kilcullen - 26/08/24

* Read: 10/01/25 - 11/01/25
* Release Date: 03/08/23
* ISBN: 9781783789504

[Ellis (whatellisreadnext) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wowee. Way to end a book like that 🫠 Though the Bodies Fall was my favourite type of story, bittersweet and human. The story follows Micheál Burns, who lives in his family bungalow at the edge of Ireland. His life has always been burdened by the fact that this beautiful picturesque spot is also a suicide spot. Plagued by 'visitors' he is forced to talk down from the ledge, again and again. I loved how O'Regan told this story bouncing between past, present, and future, switching when the time called for some more information from one of the three. It worked effortlessly. Would recommend to fans of Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy and anything by Claire Keegan.

[Robmaxs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best way to describe this is beautiful. It was a rather slow-paced book, but for once I didn't mind that. The author really did make the landscape the star of this book. Complex characters, interesting plot, somewhat open ending... I didn't love it all throughout, though, probably because I am just more of a fast-paced book person, so in the end I'd probably give it 3.75 stars.

[Maltheus Broman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Certainly, Though the Bodies Fall is a touching novel. However, I am uncertain about liking all the artistic choices made throughout the book, especially regarding style, aspects of realism, and the ending. As I am yet on the fence, I withhold further judgement, except for saying as much as that the novel is definitely worthwhile reading and discussing. Processing it will take a while.

[Zuzana Kolouchova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hodně zajímavý příběh. Jak tě něco může svázat a ovlivnit po celý život. A jak se dá schovávat za rádoby povinností a nechat si utíkat život. Pěkný styl psaní, jednoduchý, stručný, pěkný obyčejný. Za mě super.

[Marisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not for me. Books that write about depression in this way make reading them kinda depressing. I would have liked some more happiness, I really liked the middle part with Helena. Still well-written and makes you think about the realities of childhood and trauma.

[Levi Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. Loved this, really incredible portrayal of complex family relationships and family trauma. Well plotted - the ending was both unexpected and also predicable, I figured out what was happening just before it happened!

[Aisling · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. A beautiful, heart wrenching and utterly Irish story.

[Katie Wetzel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like the description of the sky every other page I guess

[Jonas Hirschi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect book! A story that exerts a stronger pull than the cliffs could ever manage. Original thoughts that deal profoundly with topics such as guilt and duty, but also the central question of who we are actually doing good for.