Deep Burn

by Brendan Mac Evilly

‘The curator wants to know if there’s a limit to what she will burn? Will she really burn anything?’

‘Of course,’ Vinny replied, ‘anything you like.’

In a small seaside village in South Kerry, Martha Knox, an artist, has developed an unlikely career burning emotionally charged objects and photographing the results. Her clients, including writers and collectors, travel from far and wide with things they need her to destroy. But her new relationships with these individuals become increasingly complicated with the arrival of curator Kingsley Masozi-Kohler, who is considering her work for his renowned Berlin Biennale.

This surreal story explores themes of fame, love, contemporary art, and professional envy, as the photographer navigates her evolving role in the art world.

288 pages, Paperback

Published October 9, 2025

Reviews

[Cathal McGuinness · Rating 5 out of 5]

An art world satire set in West Kerry? Yes please. Cracking novel, with good humour and impressive depth. Buy Irish!

[anissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book. I especially enjoyed and appreciate all of the research that must've gone into it, considering the amount of artists mentioned and the knowledge on how art trade and galleries etc work, so big kudos for that!!

I had picked up this book in Dublin while still on my semester abroad and I'm glad I did! All in all, I enjoyed the story. Sometimes, it was a bit too cynical for me, but I suppose that was mainly due to the mental state of the characters. There's a lot going on in my mind about the dynamic between Martha and Vinny but the main thought that crystallises currently is how they both needed each other badly but simultaneously, were the worst thing that ever happened to each other. Which was honestly like watching a car crash (words actually used by Martha to describe their relationship lol). Looking back now, I think it was honestly really nicely done, the breaking down of their relationship. .

I loved reading about Martha's ideas on the objects she was given to burn. In general, the idea to take photographs of sentimental objects to incinerate is such a good one. I was always excited to read her next job and what she would do with it. Honestly, kind of wished we got to see some more 'minor' things Martha burned and perhaps, didn't work out that well. Because it was sometimes a bit hard to believe that she was able to bring every vision she had to life without any issues, despite only having picked up a camera like weeks ago. Maybe it's the artist in me, crying over paintings looking nothing like envisioned, that is a bit harder to convince of her easy success in that regard lol.

All in all, I enjoyed the book! I think currently I am oscillating between 3 and 4 stars.

[Nicholas DeMasi · Rating 4 out of 5]

usually fiction about art smacks of artifice but this was an exception. i actually believed Martha's ascent to becoming a successful photographer because the ideas for her compositions were decent enough to where i could see a bunch of rich people being goaded into buying them. the book has a lot to say about the value of the idea in relation to craft which is interesting because as a novel about photography it tracks exclusively in the former. it can only express ideas, so far as visual art is concerned, anything else is out of reach. in fact, the only reason the narrative works is because it's speculative about its very mode of conveyance, if it had instead tried to convince me that Martha's photographs were great works then I would've found myself much more at odds with its grounding. you can't own an idea, so much as we try to package and sell them, they just exist in the ether and happen to visit us at random. you can own craft though. the great trick (and it's not necessarily a deceptive one) of modern art has been the swapping in of idea for craft in the wake of the Industrial Revolution, it must tie itself to the most ephemeral of things to survive. ultimately i appreciate the novel because it's a story about characters who are believable and do things they don't always agree with but still see through because of some other, unknown force which drives them. we are not omniscient nor are we helpless automatons responding to impulses. the truth is somewhere in between and Mac Evilly understands that, even if the last 20 pages feels forced and a tad obvious. this was a good reminder that you can still write about other people in a believable way.

[Ema Hauc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kinda loved it how it is such a different story but also really wanted to imagine the pictures! The ending was so sad and real. My favorite quote was: ‘Because when someone commissions a piece of art, no matter who or what else they say it's about, it's really only ever about them.' 🦭🍺🔥

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great fun, excellently written characters and a nicely paced story which progresses entertainingly to a hugely satisfying ending.