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The Red Mouth
Not yet published
Expected 2 Jul 26From a rising star in literary fiction comes a story of two discoveries made deep in an Irish bogland, threading together four lives across time.
When a dog finds a strange, alien antler in a restored bog, the owner's first thought is to keep it for himself. But when he realises the value of his find, he is drawn back to the rich peat to keep searching. It is not one stag skeleton that is buried there, but dozens – an ancient dying ground of the Great Irish Elk.
Other things have surfaced from the prehistoric settlements, bronze cauldrons, ancient butter, iron weapons – and the mutilated body of a two-thousand-year-old female. Fifty years ago, a young archaeologist named her Belroe Woman, and dedicated his life to telling the story of her sacrificial death.
While state and public treat the bog body as a national treasure, others must reckon with its otherworldly influence over their the peat-cutter who first unearthed her and carries this discovery like a curse; the archaeologist's daughter who grows up in the shadow of the bog's strange magnetism; and the young environmental scientist whose work draws her back to where it all began.
From antler to bog body, The Red Mouth – an béal rua – is a haunting, lyrical exploration of how shifting histories can reshape landscape, language and legacies. The deep time of the bog is both mystical and sinister, the iron-fed streams running through its soil staining everything they touch. Those bound to it must decide what to bury – and what to unearth.
PRAISE FOR SHEILA
'Unsettling, unpredictable, and brilliant' Roddy Doyle
'Vivid, sensuous ... A subtle tale of loss, loneliness and disconnection' Paul Lynch
'Lush, lyrical and cleverly constructed. A beautiful book' Louise Kennedy
'Beautifully written ... An unchained sea melody' Anne Enright
'Writes complex and troubling stories with such unflinching graciousness' Jan Carson
When a dog finds a strange, alien antler in a restored bog, the owner's first thought is to keep it for himself. But when he realises the value of his find, he is drawn back to the rich peat to keep searching. It is not one stag skeleton that is buried there, but dozens – an ancient dying ground of the Great Irish Elk.
Other things have surfaced from the prehistoric settlements, bronze cauldrons, ancient butter, iron weapons – and the mutilated body of a two-thousand-year-old female. Fifty years ago, a young archaeologist named her Belroe Woman, and dedicated his life to telling the story of her sacrificial death.
While state and public treat the bog body as a national treasure, others must reckon with its otherworldly influence over their the peat-cutter who first unearthed her and carries this discovery like a curse; the archaeologist's daughter who grows up in the shadow of the bog's strange magnetism; and the young environmental scientist whose work draws her back to where it all began.
From antler to bog body, The Red Mouth – an béal rua – is a haunting, lyrical exploration of how shifting histories can reshape landscape, language and legacies. The deep time of the bog is both mystical and sinister, the iron-fed streams running through its soil staining everything they touch. Those bound to it must decide what to bury – and what to unearth.
PRAISE FOR SHEILA
'Unsettling, unpredictable, and brilliant' Roddy Doyle
'Vivid, sensuous ... A subtle tale of loss, loneliness and disconnection' Paul Lynch
'Lush, lyrical and cleverly constructed. A beautiful book' Louise Kennedy
'Beautifully written ... An unchained sea melody' Anne Enright
'Writes complex and troubling stories with such unflinching graciousness' Jan Carson
Kindle Edition
Expected publication July 2, 2026
2 people are currently reading
45 people want to read
About the author
Sheila Armstrong
4 books58 followersSheila Armstrong is a writer from the north-west of Ireland. She is the author of two books: How To Gut A Fish, a collection of short stories, and Falling Animals, a novel.
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Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This is a story about two discoveries made in an Irish Peat Bog- antlers from an ancient Elk and the body of a young woman brutally killed two millennia ago - known as the Belroe Woman. It is the location of the bog and its hidden secrets that the key context for this haunting and poetic novel.
Over a period it follows four characters whose lives are impacted upon by the peat bog and the discoveries and the book progresses their stories begin to intertwine and connect building up the impact of the world associated to the Bog.
The man who discovered the antler reflects upon his life and his need to unearth this mysterious form; the person whilst cutting peat discovers the woman's body finds her existence permeates within and haunts; the daughter of the archaeologist who works on the body finds her life overshadowed by the ancient corpse and a young scientist feels herself drawn back to her roots.
There is a melancholic thread that imbues the novel- the sense of sinking within the peat bog - a dark pull into this past world and a disconnection from the present day.
Sheila Armstrong's writing powerfully pulls us into each life and vividly creates the brooding atmosphere of the landscape.
Intriguing and brooding- a novel full of imagery that will linger
Thank you to Bloomsbury Circus publishing and Netgalley for the advance copy.
Over a period it follows four characters whose lives are impacted upon by the peat bog and the discoveries and the book progresses their stories begin to intertwine and connect building up the impact of the world associated to the Bog.
The man who discovered the antler reflects upon his life and his need to unearth this mysterious form; the person whilst cutting peat discovers the woman's body finds her existence permeates within and haunts; the daughter of the archaeologist who works on the body finds her life overshadowed by the ancient corpse and a young scientist feels herself drawn back to her roots.
There is a melancholic thread that imbues the novel- the sense of sinking within the peat bog - a dark pull into this past world and a disconnection from the present day.
Sheila Armstrong's writing powerfully pulls us into each life and vividly creates the brooding atmosphere of the landscape.
Intriguing and brooding- a novel full of imagery that will linger
Thank you to Bloomsbury Circus publishing and Netgalley for the advance copy.
Displaying 1 of 1 review