Heart, Be at Peace

Rust #2

by Donal Ryan

‘I said it before. Madness comes circling around. Ten-year cycles, as true as the sun will rise…’ Some things can send a heart spinning; others will crack it in two. In a small town in rural Ireland, the local people have weathered the storms of economic collapse and are looking towards the future. The jobs are back, the dramas of the past seemingly lulled, and although the town bears the marks of its history, new stories are unfolding. But a fresh menace is creeping around the lakeshore and the lanes of the town, and the peace of the community is about to be shattered in an unimaginable way. Young people are being drawn towards the promise of fast money whilst the generation above them tries to push back the tide of an enemy no one can touch… A stunning, lyrical novel told in twenty-one voices, Heart, be at Peace can be read independently, or as a companion to Donal Ryan’s multi-award-winning novel, The Spinning Heart, voted ‘The Irish Book of the Decade’.

Genres: Fiction, Ireland, Irish Literature, Literary Fiction, Short Stories, Contemporary, Audiobook

208 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 8, 2024

About the author

Donal Ryan is the author of the novels The Spinning Heart, The Thing About December, the short-story collection A Slanting of the Sun, and the forthcoming novel All We Shall Know. He holds a degree in Law from the University of Limerick, and worked for the National Employment Rights Authority before the success of his first two novels allowed him to pursue writing as a full-time career.

Reviews

[Vit Babenco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Many kinds of people live in the community… Some are good and some are bad… Time passed… And we meet them again… Some will be missing, however…

Anyway, the past is the past, as the fella says. The past is done and dusted and there’s fuck-all way to change it.

New sins, new errors, new crimes wait to be committed… And they are committed… And life goes on… And what is life?

All the things I could have done, or had a good go at, at least, I have left undone, unattempted. I have rebuffed all possibility, declined all opportunity, rested on my peripatetic laurels, considered myself worldly by virtue of my time spent in various parts of the world, passing along tarmacadam or through the sky or drinking in bars or working on building sites or in pot washes at the back of steaming stinking kitchens, saying things I didn’t mean, laughing at things I didn’t think were funny. And all the world still a mystery to me, and all the people in it, myself especially.

If you are lucky to live happily doing no wrong your heart will be at peace.

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCERPT: He asked me about his mother, my Eileen. If she'd suffered much. I told him no, she went gently enough. By the time they found the shadows on her lungs, at the end of that summer four years ago it was too late and she knew if she gave battle it would be in vain. I remembered that he loved mustard, and that he preferred white bread, and that he only ever had a bare skim of butter on one slice and none on the other. I had good ham in the fridge and fresh bread, like always. I gave him sugar in his tea, two spoons of it, the way he always had it years ago. I used always to give out to him over it, telling him it was a woman's way of drinking tea, white with milk and poisoned with sugar.
He was hungry. He hardly left a crumb, God help us. I brought him over a cut of tart then. This was bought in a shop, I told him. It won't be like your mother's. He frightened the life out of me with the sound he made all of a sudden, a long high moan that cut through the air and seemed to shake everything; my eyes blurred at the sound of it and the walls of my ears vibrated. And he shook and he shook with the sobs and I sat looking at him and I could easily have reached my hand across to him. I could have stood up and gone to him and put my two arms around him. But I just sat there, looking, embarrassed, wishing he'd go away again and leave me be. God forgive me.

ABOUT 'HEART, BE AT PEACE': Some things can send a heart spinning; others will crack it in two. In a small town in rural Ireland, the local people have weathered the storms of economic collapse and are looking towards the future. The jobs are back, the dramas of the past seemingly lulled, and although the town bears the marks of its history, new stories are unfolding. But a fresh menace is creeping around the lakeshore and the lanes of the town, and the peace of the community is about to be shattered in an unimaginable way. Young people are being drawn towards the promise of fast money whilst the generation above them tries to push back the tide of an enemy no one can touch…

MY THOUGHTS: Told by 21 different voices in a small Irish village and twenty-one interconnecting short stories, Donal Ryan paints a picture of life in a small Irish village, contrasting the current troubles with the past.

The advantages and perils of living in a small village are obvious - everyone knows everyone and their business. Where in the past it was religious alliances that either held people together or divided them, today it is drugs. The dealers, the users, the anti-drug brigade. It is a war on its own and one that is fought in every town across the world. But life goes on around it and Donal Ryan examines and chronicles these lives - the first loves, marriages, betrayals, friendships, deaths, personal shortcomings, successes and, always in the background, the drugs.

These stories, culminating in one dramatic denouement, are beautifully written. These are ordinary people brought to life with wit, honesty and a lyrical beauty.

⭐⭐⭐⭐.1

#HeartBeatPeace #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: Donal Ryan is a novelist and short story-writer from Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. He lives in Limerick with his wife Anne Marie and their two children.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers, Doubleday, via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of Heart, Be at Peace by Donal Ryan for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[Michael Burke · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Mosaic

In “Heart Be at Peace,” Donal Ryan tells the story of a small Irish village through 21 chapters, 21 different voices. This tightly knit community is portrayed through the perspectives of its various voices, revealing information about everyone's lives as the story unfolds. It takes some effort to put this mosaic together, but it is well worth the effort. This novel revisits the same town and many of the characters featured in Ryan's celebrated 2012 debut, "The Spinning Heart.”

The previous book focused on the town's struggle with a collapsed economy following the Celtic Tiger. Now the new crisis emerging is the escalating influence of illegal drugs. Bobby Mahon, the town’s de facto leader, is growing increasingly frustrated by the dealers' apparent immunity from justice while their influence poisons lives. Lily, a fascinating character known as the town witch, is dismayed to see her young granddaughter falling for the ruthless gang leader. There is a simple-minded ex-con, Trevor, living with his mother in an assisted living facility who is unwittingly storing the contraband. Vasya, “the hobo,” has some wonderfully poetic contemplations out in the wild before his conscience reprehends his involvement:

“… I wonder if ever I’m captured whether I’ll be able to keep myself from speaking the truth, to my captors or to myself, of the foul, thrilling things I’m party to, of the man I’ve allowed myself to become."

The drug issue is not the only concern. There are all the things that make up life in a small Irish town, the loves, the gossip, the betrayals. Similar to "The Bee Sting" by Paul Murray, we slowly get to know what's really going on as each person's voice sheds light to the bigger picture.

Every one of these characters feels authentic; their voices, their messages, the uncensored way they open up. Many of these characters deserve more exploration and I would not be surprised to see another visit. Although this is wonderful as a stand-alone book, it has been a number of years since I read the first book, and I plan on savoring these back-to-back.

Another brilliant novel from one of Ireland’s most acclaimed writers.

Thank you to the Penguin Group, Viking Penguin, and NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. #HeartBeatPeace #NetGalley

[Emma.catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Library blind-pick 📚

It’s been a while since I picked up a random book from the library but here it goes…

‘We make no wonder of the rising and the setting of the Sun which we see every day; and yet there is nothing in the universe more beautiful or more worthy of wonder.’ 🌅

This is the first Donal Ryan book I have read, however, he seems to be quite the accomplished author with several awards under his belt! Thankfully, this book can be read as a stand alone or as a companion piece to The Spinning Heart (of which I have not read).

This short literary novel is set in a small town in Ireland and is told by 21 different inhabitants. However, Donal does an excellent job at smoothing intertwining their different stories at various points throughout the book; this gives the book a real sense of community. No one person is singled out. All of the characters are just as relevant as the next, however, naturally, some stories struck a chord with me more than others. I particularly enjoyed reading about Kate.

‘My daughter took me by the hand and guided me back into the world and back to the truth of myself, and she’s holding my hand ever since, even when we’re apart.’ 🥹💖

Donal’s writing is smooth, tender and has an almost lyrical feel to it. This is a great contrast to the contents of the individuals stories - many of which evoke pain, crime, violence and grief. However, there is so much love, faith, and steadfastness to counteract the heartache and agony.

I thoroughly enjoyed this introduction to Donal’s writing and fully intend to read more of his books, including the companion piece - The Spinning Heart voted 'The Irish Book of the Decade'! 👏🏼 ☘️

🌟🌟🌟🌟

[Kate O'Shea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thankfully this book can be read as a stand alone or as a companion piece to The Spinning Heart - a book I've not yet read.

Heart, Be At Peace is yet another example of stunning Irish literature. For me, it felt close to home because I've spent a lot of time on the west coast of that beautiful country and the characters are echoed in so many people I've met over time.

This short book is the story of small town Ireland told by its inhabitants in 21 different voices although all the stories intersect at various points. That makes it sound a little clinical but that's far from the truth. The writing is gentle, beautiful, lyrical and evocative whilst having flashes of violence, grief and pain. Donal Ryan manages to weave this intricate portrait of a town using many different voices but the whole is just as cohesive as a tale told by one person.

All of the voices are relevant but some stuck with me more than others - the stories of Denis and Triona are wonderful but Kate's was by far my favourite. (I swear it's not just the name).

Stunning. Highly recommended.

Thankyou very much to Netgalley and Random House UK for the advance review copy. Most appreciated.

[PattyMacDotComma · Rating 5 out of 5]

5★
“I was a witch by training and a whore by inclination. … The title was attached… by people hereabouts for their own ease. The whoring I learned myself as I went along.”

That’s Lily, one of the 21 people from Ryan’s wonderful debut, The Spinning Heart, which was longlisted for the 2013 Booker Prize. I singled her out in that novel, because of her spirit. It didn’t matter that they nicknamed her Lily the Bike, she came to consider herself as delivering a needed service.

She’s worried about her seventeen-year-old granddaughter, Millicent, who is infatuated with a particularly “ratty-looking f*cker. There’s a coldness off of him.”

There sure is, but there’s no way an infatuated teenager will listen to anyone.

“That’s what young ones do once the madness starts coursing through them. It’s a dangerous place in a person’s life, that shadowy path between childhood and adulthood, and it’s pocked and hexed with all sorts of traps and trials.”

Of course, Lily and Milicent are only two of the voices. The others in the choir, so to speak, are familiar from The Spinning Heart, and I was glad to see them again. A few are wiser, as well as older, but some are just sneakier than ever, and one is a ghost.

Chapters are headed with the narrator’s name so that each person tells their own story. It is as if we are listening to them think, rather than chatting over a cup of tea. They have trouble enough sharing some of their thoughts with themselves, let alone admit them to others, but we can see the shame, embarrassment, nostalgia, and sometimes the secret admission of guilt.

This is a small community where relationships ebb and flow. Old grudges die hard, but people swallow their pride, or at least curb their behaviour to spare innocent bystanders. Generations of these people have gone to school together, flirted, had pregnancies, affairs, separations, and a few have escaped.

Mobile phones and the texting of photos have broadened the reach of local gossip, and drug-running has become big business. It’s interesting to see who has changed for the better or for the worse.

One man, Pokey Burke, whom we met as a youth, scarpered off overseas, to escape paying his building workers their entitlements, and left his parents with the debt. Dad has heard he’s returned.

“Pokey had a friend from Malta or one of those quare places who was living down near the lake, just back from the foreshore, in one of those big low houses that was built on a foundation of bribes and bullsh*t back in the eighties.”

Yes, he’s back (with another foolproof scheme), and his father, Josie (Joseph), describes that push-pull, ebb and flow, of strong feelings.

I’m quoting such a long section so you can get the full sense of Ryan’s wonderful writing. It flows with little punctuation and no quotation marks. [NQW – no quotes warning?]

“Before the poor boy even made it as far as the front door I had him forgiven and unforgiven, welcomed and unwelcomed; before a word passed between us I was giving off to him, roaring at him silently, Where were you, you ungrateful lying bastard, you broke your mother’s heart, where were you when she was dying, where were you when she died, where were you?

But I said none of that when finally he landed in the door and stood with his hands hanging, looking at me, his auld man. I leaned heavy on my stick and I reached one hand out to steady myself on the edge of the dining table. I could see him looking at the stick in my right hand and the shake in my left hand, and I could hear the whirs and clicks inside his brain, the gleeful whisper. The auld fella is banjaxed. He’s on the way out. I’ll fall in for the house now, or a share of it at least. I had him judged like that, imagine, before he had even one word spoken. I got back the use of myself after the shock of his appearance and I stepped in closer to get a proper look at him.

. . . Are you hungry, son?”

Josie has swallowed everything, held it all in. Are you hungry son, is as much as he can manage.

I love the writing, the people, and the way each of them tells what is really a universal story in a uniquely Irish voice.

I can’t possibly do justice to all these characters. Just read it, and if you can, read The Spinning Heart first, so you can enjoy the whole experience.

I don’t know if it was intentional or not, but the title also reads as Heart Beat Peace, and I like to think that’s what their (and our) hearts are beating.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Random House/Doubleday for a copy of #HeartBeAtPeace for review.

My review of The Spinning Heart

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart Be At Peace is a sequence of 21 stories narrated by residents of a small town in Ireland first encountered in Donal Ryan’s first story collection, The Spinning Heart. The difference is the decade between the two, the time between the exciting and profitable Irish economic boom going bust and the slow recovery 10 years later as people work to recover businesses, relationships, lives. These twenty-one people are sometimes related or known to each other in other ways. Their stories may be entwined. There are all sorts of emotions expressed, from love to hate to loathing or indifference. There is a lot of sadness. But, especially because of several women included, there is resilience and strength and love and happiness present too.

Ryan is a wonderful writer. Here he creates a cast of people who will affect you emotionally and intrigue you as you connect them to each other or their earlier selves while reading. Love, pity or despise these individuals, many will grow on you, many will make you think or possibly heave a deep sigh as you finish their tale. I strongly recommend this book of stories to anyone who enjoys well written characters, a strong sense of place and community. While it isn’t a necessity to have read The Spinning Heart in order to appreciate this new book, it might make the experience more complete.


Thanks to Viking and NetGalley for an eARC of this book. This review is my own.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Twenty-one chapters. Twenty-one voices. Twenty-one ways of looking at an Irish community on the brink. Donal Ryan pieces together the jigsawed connections between families in the County Tipperary village of Nenagh with short chapters that weave between characters, time, and events. An undercurrent of dread pulls the heart forward in unsettling bursts as a low-slung sedan with blacked-out windows prowls the byways, an elder's life savings are stolen, another is terrorized in her bed, and a young woman falls under the spell of pure evil. Even as a bomb ticks toward disaster, everyday lives ebb and flow with quotidian crises between husbands and wives, fathers and sons, old men and women and their memories in a country that has lurched from poverty to epic wealth to financial collapse and now to fragile economic truce in less than a lifetime.

Despite the character chorale, Ryan is wise to center us with one family—the Mahons, Bobby and Triona, who weathered the stormy financial straits and emerged with a solid construction business and two solid kids. They are the hopeful face of the new Ireland, and also its mirror of everything that can go wrong.

Heart, Be At Peace took my breath away. I've not read its prequel, 2014's The Spinning Heart, featuring the same twenty-one characters set in the aftermath of the 2008 financial collapse that took Ireland from Celtic Tiger to drowned rat. But it didn't matter. The voices had my complete attention, the characters fresh and fully-realized. Ryan offers just enough backstory for context but keeps the story moving with exquisitely timed exposition and pacing.

I was already in awe of Donal Ryan's ability to inhabit surprising characters with captivating authenticity and variety of voice after reading 2023's Queen of Dirt Island. I tip my hat to his structural conceits because he disappears their precise edges into the rolling borders of damn good story.

Highly recommended, particularly for fans of contemporary Irish literary fiction writers Anne Enright, Kevin Barry, Claire Keegan, John Boyne.

[Clemens Schoonderwoert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This magnificent small novel by Donal Ryan can be read as a standalone, but I would like to advise you to read "The Spinning Heart" first, because "Heart, Be at Peace" is its companion in each and every way, and they accompany each other superbly.

Storytelling is excellent, all 21 figures come vividly to life in this tale about human life, happiness, misery and death in rural Ireland.

Like I said the book describes 21 people who's lives are monitored after the economic collapse and it will show us now what they have become or will become in the very near future.

This book also pictures in a most wonderful fashion the changing surroundings in rural Ireland as well as the living and working conditions, when certain unsettling threats and dangerous situations are brought in that community in an attempt to destroy lives.

It's book which again has been written with a heartfelt passion about human life in general.

And so this is a genuine small human novel about ordinary people in rural Ireland, who are trying to cope with the changing of times in their own kind of manner and behave accordingly, good or bad.

Highly recommended, but read "The Spinning Heart" first for then you will understand this book so much better in my view, and that's why I like to call this small novel: "A Sublime Continuation"!

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Donal Ryan’s first three books – the two short novels
The Spinning Heart and The Thing About December and the short story collection A Slanting of the Sun – but then lost track of his career. When I heard he was publishing a sequel of sorts to his terrific The Spinning Heart, I couldn’t resist. “Madness comes circling around. Ten-year cycles, as true as the sun will rise,” one character remarks here. Set a decade on, this replicates the structure of Ryan’s debut novella: 21 short chapters, each with a different first-person narrator. The Spinning Heart took place in the wake of the financial crisis and centered on murder and kidnapping cases – both of which still resonate 10 years later. I read it as an e-ARC and can’t go back to check, but my impression is that Heart, Be at Peace focuses on many of the same characters, if not the same exact set and order.

Once again, Bobby Mahon is the closest thing to a protagonist. His construction business has recovered from the crash, but he still struggles with guilt and anxiety, including when a so-called friend tries to blackmail him over a compromising photograph. The main plot, which involves a small-town drug ring, pulls in so many people and incidents. You piece it all together through hints that accrete gradually. More so than parsing the Limerick organized crime network, though, the pleasure is encountering all the fully realized but very different voices. You can hear them in your head, the Irish accent stronger in some and the speech more slang-filled in others. Each narrative is self-contained but they also link together.

In what is quite a gritty, macho book, the women’s stories stand out all the more. Lily has ancient knowledge of spells that she’d love to pass on to her granddaughter, yet is dismayed when Millicent only wants the magic to bind her no-good boyfriend to her. Hillary is a defence lawyer whose clients never do themselves any favours with their behaviour and dress. Fathers and sons are key, as in this novel’s predecessor, but Ryan also features mothers, daughters and wives who often know more than they let on. Another interesting voice is that of Vasya, a Russian immigrant who chooses to live in an outdoor encampment.

It can be a challenge to keep track of who’s who and how everything is connected. Overall, this feels less fresh and timely than The Spinning Heart. But it’s certainly possible to enjoy it even if you haven’t read its companion novel. It reminded me especially of Paul Murray’s The Bee Sting, and you may also find the style reminiscent of Colin Barrett or Caoilinn Hughes. So many Irish writers are masters of voice and tone, and the same is true of Donal Ryan. Do try his work if you haven’t already. He has eight books to choose from now!

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Retired garda Jim Gildea said it best - "Madness comes circling around. Ten-year cycles, as true as the sun will rise." Well, ten years have passed, and for many of the residents of Nenagh in County Tipperary, the rage and despair of those dark economic times are a distant memory. Many, but not all. However, even for those whose circumstances have changed for the better, there is a new scourge sitting like a dark cloud over this small Irish community. It sits outside the school gates, hides behind darkly tinted car widows, glides across the river in the dead of night, and turns regular people into demons. Drugs.

Following the same format as The Spinning Heart, in exactly the same order, we see how our 21 characters' lives and fortunes have changed in those 10 intervening years. The ending left me with my heart in my mouth.

I really enjoyed returning to this community, after having read The Spinning Heart a few months ago. There were constant sparks of recognition and memory, as well as urgent backtracking a couple of times (to the other book) to make sure I was remembering people and events correctly. Having said that, I think this book can absolutely be read as a standalone, but if you are going to read both, then I'd suggest reading them in order. I also got a little thrill from the Easter egg for fans of The Queen of Dirt Island. Small but welcome.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for an eARC to read and review.

[Tom Mooney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, that man can seriously write. Another excellent novel filled told by a cacophony of voices, the same ones as in his debut The Spinning Heart. The way he manages to structure a real plot through so many viewpoints, while also making sure each works as an individual voice, is incredibly skilled. A fabulous read by a really great writer.

[Bonnie G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I kept checking the title page as I listened to this because it includes the subtitle "A Novel" and it was absolutely a collection of linked short stories. It comes together in the gorgeous final story, so it coheres, but the reading experience still doesn't feel like a novel for me. There are many books of linked short stories that I felt were completely cohesive, but for me, this didn't get there. It was still pretty damn great.

Ryan tells us stories of the inhabitants of an Irish town, laid low by economic collapse, and then, after it rises, is laid low again by drugs and (related) crime. The elders are sad and mystified, the middles rueful and angry, and the youngers resigned and soulless. There is a lot of heartbreak to be found here.

As is my wont, I read a lot of this on the beach. I am notoriously bad at choosing escapist books for my annual beach month. One year, I read Middlemarch, one year, I read Matterhorn (possibly the most harrowing book I have ever read). I am not on vacation exactly. I just work from a location a whole lot more pleasant than NYC in July and August, so I am not sure this even counts as "beach reading," but it is happening on a folding chair with my feet in sand, so I am counting it. Anyhoo . . . this book is a stunning and deeply emotional piece of writing.

We get the perspectives of 21 village inhabitants. Each voice is entirely distinct. Often in just a few pages, we get to know a character deeply. Things happen in the stories, but each is more a character sketch than a story. It is incomprehensible to me that anyone can pack so much empathy into a few pages. I fell in right alongside the people I met. I read this slowly, one story at a time, with at least a day in between most, so that I could fully invest in each character. The slow pace also helped me reflect on the Rashomon presentation, giving me clear sightlines on shared events from the perspectives of each spectator without having the perceptions bleed into one another.

Favorite line: “I was a witch by training and a whore by inclination.” If I did not intend to be incinerated rather than buried, I would want it on my tombstone.

I listened to this (while I gazed on the water), and the narration is wonderful. I honestly think Irish accents are the most moving and musical in all the world -- personal taste -- and all seven narrators (including the author) read beautifully and fully inhabit the characters they share with us.

[Chloe · Rating 5 out of 5]

#Gifted

Heart, Be At Peace is the new novel from Donal Ryan. I’ve only recently read The Spinning Heart and loved it, so was delighted to see that this book picks up ten years after The Spinning Heart finishes. If you haven’t read it though, worry not, as Heart, Be At Peace can be read as a companion piece or completely independently from it’s predecessor.

Told from the perspective of 21 people in a small rural Irish town, we revisit some old acquaintances and meet the new generation that are now dealing with far worse than just the economic collapse their parents and grandparents struggled through. A dark and money-hungry criminal element spreads through this quiet town, with devastating consequences.

This is as always, beautifully written, almost lyrical at times. Terrible poignancy sits alongside joy and true love, as it does in every community. Some chapters utterly broke my heart and others warmed it. Donal Ryan really is just an exquisite writer, I would happily read whatever he writes for the rest of my life.

I think it would be preferable to read The Spinning Heart first, as it adds more depth to the characters in Heart, Be At Peace, but as both books are less than 200 pages each, you’ll have flown through them quickly! These are stories that are hard to put down. Highly recommend!

With many thanks to @penguinbooksireland for my copies of both The Spinning Heart, and Heart, Be At Peace, which is available to buy now. All opinions are my own, as always.

[Janelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sort of sequel to The Spinning Heart, a book I thought was absolutely brilliant. This one is not quite as good but I still thought it was amazing how well he gets into the heads and personalities of his characters. This book is about 10years after the events of the first book and again, each chapter is narrated by a different character. Another great read.

[Ben Dutton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart, Be at Peace is the new novel from Donal Ryan, and is a companion piece to his 2012 debut The Spinning Heart. I remember reading that novel and being blown away that with such a simple structure - each chapter from the point of view of a character - he was able to build such an emotional powerhouse, societal critique, and take down of the Celtic Tiger. To return to this world in 2024 has been another step into the beautifully rendered Ireland of today.

Like The Spinning Heart, each chapter here is from the point of view of a different character, and threads and themes resonate across them all to build its whole picture. There is no need to have read that first work, though your experience is enriched if you have. The writing, as one would expect from Ryan, is absolutely first class. He manages to build distinct, rounded human characters with such brevity; these are people that leap off the page, whose loves and lives you feel you have wandered into and are intimately privy to. Each reader will have their favourite character or characters here, and some stories will work better for some than others, but that is the delight of a polyphonic, social novel such as this.

It was an absolute pleasure and honour to read this beautiful novel in an ARC, for which I thank the publishers and Netgalley. This is sure to be one of the literary highlights of 2024.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic series of slightly connected stories set in Ireland. I haven’t read this author’s previous book The Spinning Heart(this is the companion piece to it) but I certainly will be. A wide range of characters each have a story of their own. I found the language came alive on the page. Many thanks to Netgalley for an arc of this book.

[Faith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the story of a small Irish town, told in a series of interlocking vignettes. As usual with this author, the writing was beautiful. However, I did have trouble keeping track of all 21 characters. Some definitely made more of an impression on me than others.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

[Joy D · Rating 4 out of 5]

This follow-up to The Spinning Heart is set in the same small town in rural Ireland and is structured in an identical format, featuring twenty-one chapters, each told in the voice of a different character. The previous book was set during the financial collapse, and this one takes place ten years later, when times have changed for the better economically. Of course, increased prosperity brings new challenges and conflicts, and the monologues reveal them. It is obvious that drugs and the lure of quick money are becoming serious temptations.

The narratives weave together different perspectives on the current state of the community. Each character is given a unique voice. This book is a bit more upbeat than its predecessor, and sets up new conflicts, which I hope will be addressed in a third book. I recommend reading The Spinning Heart first to get familiar with the characters, since their stories are continued in this sequel. I always enjoy reading Donal Ryan’s beautiful prose.

[Cara McDermott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, ye gods, such writing. How he inhabits each individual character so completely and perfectly. The story wrapping its way around you as each perspective is shared.
Powerful prose. Aching. A worthy sequel to the Spinning Heart.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I set my expectations a little too high on this one, each chapter is written from a different character perspective and although the chapters interlink, I found it difficult to keep track of the multiple voice changes.

[Debbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is my second book by Donal Ryan. I loved The Queen of Dirt Island. I loved the writing and the complex characters and the relationship between three generations of women.
Heart Be at Peace is a different kind of novel. There is a chorus of 21 voices, each offering a glimpse of their lives during a period of economic recovery in Ireland. Although it can be read as a stand alone I wish I had read the Spinning Heart first, which gives these characters a broader context.
Most of the voices in Heart Be at Peace are male, and while it felt a little unbalanced, the writing is still beautiful. The structure is interesting, but with so many characters I was never fully engaged.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advance copy to read and review.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

10 years since The Spinning Heart and in this small town in rural Ireland, County Tipperary, not a lot seems to have changed, or maybe it has.

Previously it was economic collapse, lack of employment, toxic masculinity and how the actions of one man affected a community.

In Donal Ryan’s heart, be at peace we meet the same cast of 21 voices, some years further on, with a new set of troubles affecting the community. Some are faring rather well financially, but not everyone is happy about the activities they are involved in and their loved ones who might be affected.

Births, Deaths and Estrangements
One of the most intriguing characters that I could have happily read a novel on and one of the few characters that does stand out was Lily, described as a witch by training and a whore by inclination, estranged from her son, then made up over her granddaughter Millicent who turns up at her door one day.

Having the gift of insight, she can see her granddaughter will find little solace with the boy she’s seeing. When she asks her granny for a spell to bind him always to her for fear of losing him, she knows there will be trouble ahead.

I explained to her again that the spells weren’t real magic, that the power of them was already inside the people who wanted them, the spells just allowed them the use of it, that the magic was in their faith that the magic would work and she screamed at me then, That’s what I want, Granny, that’s what I want, to have faith that he’ll always love me, that he’ll never leave me. I can’t bear the thought of losing him, of some other bitch touching him. He’s MINE, Granny, he’s mine.

A Chorus of Voices
The way the novel is written with short chapters from multiple character viewpoints, we can only discern what happens next to some of those we meet along the way, as we imagine the implications of all that is revealed. It is a novel that might be better understood after multiple readings, as it takes some work to connect and reconnect the different voices. It’s a kind of fly-on-the-wall polyphonic chorus.

In a way, the novel reading experience is like being in the presence of a community but not really knowing them, observing for a while reveals some connections but not others.

Some men can lie with such ease that they quickly begin to believe themselves, and so in a way their lies become truth and their sin is expunged.

I have a few of Donal Ryan’s novels and I do recall having a little difficulty with his Booker nominated debut mentioned above, but then absolutely loving All We Shall Know, then not being impressed at all by Strange Flowers. A bit hit and miss.

I enjoyed heart, be at peace and its themes, but it is a novel that is unlikely to stay with me due to the vast cast of character voices that too often became indiscernable for me.

After winning the An Post Irish novel and Book of the Year (2024)
Maria Dickenson, Chair of the Judging Panel, said:

“Heart, Be at Peace was the unanimous choice of the judges from among the fantastic array of titles shortlisted this year. Donal Ryan’s writing has earned him a place among the greatest names in Irish literature and this lyrical novel speaks to the very heart of modern Irish society. Weaving twenty one voices together, Ryan portrays the passions, frailties and sorrows of one Irish town with compassion and clarity. Heart, Be at Peace is a masterful achievement and we congratulate Donal warmly on winning this award.”

[Cathryn Conroy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dark novel. It is raw, bleak, and despairing. It is also the truth.

Written by Donal Ryan, this is the sequel to the equally raw, bleak, and despairing novel "The Spinning Heart." And, yes, you absolutely must read "The Spinning Heart" first, as the two are intertwined with several spoilers in the second book.

"The Spinning Heart" is a book about real life in rural Ireland around 2010 when the economy collapsed in a severe recession. Jobs were hard to come by, making money tight and lives compromised. As the novel progresses, it gets bleaker and more disturbing, reflecting the way people feel when they lose control of their lives. What could once be contained now erupts in violence, but there is also much humor, love, and tenderness.

"Heart, Be at Peace" takes place about 10 years later with the same cast of characters, most of whom are just as confused, angry, poor, drug-addicted, and falling apart as they were earlier. The book is more like a collection of short stories than a novel with each chapter told in the first person by one of 21 characters, each in their own voice, language, and vernacular. And each of them reveals to us, the readers, their deepest secrets. It's brilliant writing!

The book begins with Bobby Mahon, a construction foreman known for his hot wife, Triona, and his absolute sense of ethics and honesty. Under the influence of alcohol at a stag party in Amsterdam, Bobby did something he'll forever regret, and the deed was captured in a photograph by his best friend, Seanie. Bobby appears in many of the subsequent chapters, making him a common thread.

Other characters include Pokey, who has started an irreputable and shady business, and Réaltín, who is married to Seanie and the mother of the teenage Dylan. Kate's daycare business was closed after the unfortunate incident, and now her husband is in prison for murder. Hillary, who worked as a secretary in a law firm, is now a lawyer whose clients are drug-addicts and petty thieves. Lloyd, who was released from prison after serving time as a convicted child kidnapper, is now trying to rehabilitate himself. Augie, who is leading a band of derelict drug-dealers, destroying the community.

This literary novel is told through the characters rather than a plot, but their voices and stories are so strong and compelling that the book succeeds magnificently. And in the end, there is redemption and hope.

Just note: Most of the characters use rough, offensive, and obscene language.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, this title can mean so many things to the 22 characters (one chapter for each) in this book. I had to make a large chart connecting the characters to each other. Ultimately, I discovered that this book is really about BOBBY. He is tender and melancholic and he has stature in his community among other things. He wants to take care of the drug situation in his town in a very radical way. Luckily, for him, MICKEY (an elder) has the same idea and executes a plan. Not sure if the solution will work in the long run but it certainly was a shortterm resolution. I liked the mythical aspects--the ghost, the fairyland--in this story. A sad perspective was posed by Rory saying that "he cannot be too happy." I think it is sad (but real) that some of us feel like we have to tamp down our happiness which is kind of b.s.! p. 172 "Sometimes, often, a person's deeds and their nature have no alignment or connection at all. It's always best to divine their motive before you allow yourself a reckoning of their character." p.175 "His two hands were in his lap and I felt a sudden mad impulse to reach over and pick one of them up and hold it tight in my own and tell him he was a great lad, that he was loved beyond reason by all who knew him"...
Congratulations on the accolade...WINNER OF THE IRISH BOOK OF THE YEAR! So deserved. A great book for book discussion. Thanks, Christina T.

[Kerri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing, only one chapter with each character yet you get such a feel for them

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like The Spinning Heart, Heart, Be at Peace consists of a series of internal monologues by twenty-one different characters – men and women – each with a distinctive voice. It’s described by the publishers as a ‘companion novel’ to The Spinning Heart that can be read as a standalone. Personally, I think you get a richer reading experience if you’ve read The Spinning Heart because you’re learning about the continuing impact of events in the earlier book, as well as catching up with characters who are already familiar to you and seeing what they have made of their lives in the intervening years.

For some of the characters, what they’ve made of themselves is not much. Others have come out of their experiences stronger and wiser. Their stories sometimes involve dark themes, such as mental illness and there’s often violence, or its legacy, just under the surface.

Bobby was essentially the ‘hero’ of The Spinning Heart and he has pretty much the same role here. He is almost universally admired by his community. ‘Bobby is one of those rare men who measures himself against the wellbeing of the people around him. If there’s a problem he takes it personally and does his damnedest to solve it.’ He worked hard to help the town recover from the failure of the local building company that was the focus of the first book. He’s a regular visitor to his ailing mother-in-law and a faithful husband, despite seeming evidence to the contrary. He’s also shown forgiveness towards a man who, given the circumstances, you’d think he should hate. Perhaps it’s because Bobby came so close to acting in the same way himself.

Pokey Burke, the man responsible for the bankruptcy of the building company is still around and has found a new outlet for his devious ways, aided by an unwitting dupe. His role as villain of the piece has been usurped by Augie Penrose, the local drug dealer. Bobby feels a responsibility to take action out of fear for his children. In fact the urge to act is so strong it risks taking him down a path he has tried to resist, haunted by the memory of his violent father. As it turns out, there is someone with an even stronger motivation for ridding the community of the purveyors of the vile trade, just one of the many connections between characters and events.

If this sounds like the book is all about Bobby, it’s not. Each of the other characters has something to contribute although, as is to be expected, some resonate more than others. We learn about their hopes and fears, doubts and regrets, their successes and failures. We also get insights into other characters, and to events past and present. There are confessions, revelations and new perspectives. And there’s the odd touch of humour too since, let’s face it, most of us have some funny little ways unique to us.

As in The Spinning Heart, the final voice we hear is Bobby’s wife, Triona, the woman who knows him best. ‘I know what he’s capable of and what’s beyond him. I know his goodness better than he knows it himself.’ Full of compassion and understanding it means the book concludes on a note of optimism.

I appreciate the polyphonic structure of the book may not work for every reader, but it did for me. I felt the characters really came alive on the page even, possibly especially, the flawed ones. My introduction to Donal Ryan’s writing was From A Low and Quiet Sea. Now, having read The Spinning Heart and this book, I’m eager to explore the rest of his back catalogue.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's beautiful.. The characters come alive in the few short pages they inhabit.
Donal Ryans incredible writing means each and every one of these 21 characters has their own unique 'voice' and each weaves part of this interconnecting narrative.

As with The Spinning Heart there is a huge sense of place and time, our time.
For such a slim volume (just over 200 pages) it packs a mighty punch.

5 mighty stars 🌟

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reflective, melancholic, hopeful. Separated from the community described in The Spinning Heart by 10 years.

[AC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Donal Ryan broke into the literary scene in 2012 with the publication of The Spinning Wheel. This was an utterly brilliant and charming book. 21 chapters, each narrated by a different character, without any repeat appearances. And yet the whole unfurls a tightly constructed narrative, a murder mystery, in fact, whose primary protagonist is the first character in the book (Bobby), and who is thereafter seen only through the eyes of others. Brilliantly constructed. It is also written in the wonderful Irish idiom of each of his characters. These characters have depth, pathos, intelligence, foibles (and worse) — and it is really a tour de force, this little book. I highly recommend it.

Ryan has written several good books since, though none are quite up to the level of his first.

Now, with Heart, Be at Peace (2025), Ryan returns to the same characters, with the same narrative device, each character (in the same sequence as in The Spinning Wheel), some 10 years on. Thus, you really need to be familiar with the original story to fully appreciate many of the details of this one. Yet there is no clear narrative focus with the same tight construction this time around. And so, there is something missing. The characters remain interesting, but their literary raison d’être is, frankly, absent.

The book, then, is not really a standalone; it requires familiarity with a book that one may have read over a decade ago and that one should probably reread before taking up this one. And yet the novel lacks, as I said, the narrative unity that is needed. In the Spinning Wheel, each of the characters contributes to the buildup of the story. Here, they are sometimes introduced simply to maintain the conceit of the construction.

It also lacks some of the youthful freshness and joyful originality of the first book.

An interesting literary experiment, then, but not entirely successful. A bit of a disappointment.