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The Lightning
Wolf island lies in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean, where an old lighthouse-keeper at the end of his rope, challenges the universe and his place in it. The Lightning is a tale of unexpected visitors, their personal histories and navigating natural surroundings, whilst confronting the elemental rage of the sea.
- GenresFiction
Paperback
Published May 28, 2026
About the author
Jamie Guiney
4 books16 followersJamie Guiney is a literary fiction writer from County Armagh, Northern Ireland. His work has been nominated for numerous awards, including Best Small Fictions, Saboteur Awards Best Short Story Collection (shortlist), Irish Short Story of the Year (longlist), Best in Rural Writing Contest (shortlist). He has also been nominated five times for The Pushcart Prize.
Jamie's short stories have been published internationally and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
Jamie is a graduate of the Faber & Faber Writing Academy and his work has been backed by the Northern Ireland Arts Council through several Individual Artist Awards.
He is the author of two books: The Lightning and The Wooden Hill.
He tweets as @jamesgwriter
PRAISE FOR THE LIGHTNING:
"A beautifully observed, big-hearted debut novel."
Irish Times
PRAISE FOR THE WOODEN HILL:
‘Jamie Guiney’s stories feel like classics read by the fireside on dark, winter nights. Tales of ordinary people and their everyday lives are illuminated and elevated by Guiney’s keen eye and gentle empathy.'
Paul McVeigh, winner of The Polari Prize and The McCrea Literary Award
‘Evocative, lyrical and touching, The Wooden Hill is a stunning collection. Under Jamie Guiney’s pen the smallest detail becomes cinematic; characters breathe; landscapes live. Intensely personal, unflinchingly human, these are stories to savour, lingering long after the end. Miranda Dickinson, Sunday Times Bestseller
Jamie's short stories have been published internationally and broadcast on BBC Radio 4.
Jamie is a graduate of the Faber & Faber Writing Academy and his work has been backed by the Northern Ireland Arts Council through several Individual Artist Awards.
He is the author of two books: The Lightning and The Wooden Hill.
He tweets as @jamesgwriter
PRAISE FOR THE LIGHTNING:
"A beautifully observed, big-hearted debut novel."
Irish Times
PRAISE FOR THE WOODEN HILL:
‘Jamie Guiney’s stories feel like classics read by the fireside on dark, winter nights. Tales of ordinary people and their everyday lives are illuminated and elevated by Guiney’s keen eye and gentle empathy.'
Paul McVeigh, winner of The Polari Prize and The McCrea Literary Award
‘Evocative, lyrical and touching, The Wooden Hill is a stunning collection. Under Jamie Guiney’s pen the smallest detail becomes cinematic; characters breathe; landscapes live. Intensely personal, unflinchingly human, these are stories to savour, lingering long after the end. Miranda Dickinson, Sunday Times Bestseller
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
July 25, 2026
The book was a really good easy read. With a well closed finish. But for me some of it was a bit too mixed with is this a dream, people going stir crazy because of solitude or our the forces of our mind and the ability to become so immersed in nature that deep when we go with out the trappings of modern day living and communication with the wider world.
Worth a read’
Worth a read’
July 13, 2026
Finished the Lightening the other night.. Loved it.. Loved the writing, loved the characters, loved the concept. Loved the turn of phrase as the man says! Can never call a seagull a seagull again! Loved the intertwined yarns in every conversation! Lots of belly laughs!
August 25, 2026
“Was the sea in them, or they in the sea?”
The Lightning, Jamie Guiney’s debut novel, is a sea-soaked tale infused with a rich seam of symbolism. Focusing primarily on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, Guiney uses the remoteness of the setting to create a microcosm in which to explore generational interconnectedness.
The narrative voice is highly distinctive throughout, with an effective interplay between third- and second-person, past and present. This is not just gimmicky, though; it serves to give individual voices to each of the principal characters, and to create discrete temporal moments. The prose veers between short, staccato, fragment sentences to more lyrical descriptive passages, with plenty of vernacular in the dialogue, the cadences of which create an immersive and authentic reading experience. It is a novel filled with layered repetition, superstition and elements of magic realism.
As I read The Lightning, I was reminded of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea (cited in the research and sources section at the back) and, with its lighthouse setting, The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch. Some of the more fantastical elements brought to mind Shakespeare’s The Tempest, with the interior of Delphin’s lighthouse echoing Prospero’s cell, and Venus a more worldly version of Miranda. Some years ago, I worked on a little-seen Irish film entitled Ondine, a briny yarn about a mythic sea creature who becomes entangled in a fisherman’s net; The Lightning also had echoes of this tale for me, drenched as it was in the elemental nature of the ocean. Finally, in its exploration of interconnectedness, and its use of metaphor and symbolism, I was reminded of Jung’s notion of the collective unconscious.
Journeying between Egypt, Poland, Greenland, Northern Ireland and the remote Wolf Island, the effortlessness of the storytelling belies just how much research has clearly gone into this. It is brim-full of knowledge. Guiney weaves philosophy, superstition and the personal myths of family into the characters’ lives, each of them consumed by complexes originating in the unresolved experiences of childhood. Then there is the sea, inhabiting almost every page of the novel, a character in itself.
The Lightning is a highly engrossing novel!
The Lightning, Jamie Guiney’s debut novel, is a sea-soaked tale infused with a rich seam of symbolism. Focusing primarily on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, Guiney uses the remoteness of the setting to create a microcosm in which to explore generational interconnectedness.
The narrative voice is highly distinctive throughout, with an effective interplay between third- and second-person, past and present. This is not just gimmicky, though; it serves to give individual voices to each of the principal characters, and to create discrete temporal moments. The prose veers between short, staccato, fragment sentences to more lyrical descriptive passages, with plenty of vernacular in the dialogue, the cadences of which create an immersive and authentic reading experience. It is a novel filled with layered repetition, superstition and elements of magic realism.
As I read The Lightning, I was reminded of Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea (cited in the research and sources section at the back) and, with its lighthouse setting, The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch. Some of the more fantastical elements brought to mind Shakespeare’s The Tempest, with the interior of Delphin’s lighthouse echoing Prospero’s cell, and Venus a more worldly version of Miranda. Some years ago, I worked on a little-seen Irish film entitled Ondine, a briny yarn about a mythic sea creature who becomes entangled in a fisherman’s net; The Lightning also had echoes of this tale for me, drenched as it was in the elemental nature of the ocean. Finally, in its exploration of interconnectedness, and its use of metaphor and symbolism, I was reminded of Jung’s notion of the collective unconscious.
Journeying between Egypt, Poland, Greenland, Northern Ireland and the remote Wolf Island, the effortlessness of the storytelling belies just how much research has clearly gone into this. It is brim-full of knowledge. Guiney weaves philosophy, superstition and the personal myths of family into the characters’ lives, each of them consumed by complexes originating in the unresolved experiences of childhood. Then there is the sea, inhabiting almost every page of the novel, a character in itself.
The Lightning is a highly engrossing novel!
July 21, 2026
I enjoyed this a lot. An original and unusual premise, with just a little sprinkling of the 'magic' to keep things interesting. The sole inhabitant of a remote island is our main guy and somehow he makes the life seem manageable and in some ways gentler than a modern day existence. Nothing much happens but at the same time events have a sort of seismic and life changing kind of quality, I think it's this contradiction that makes the story so compelling. I've found it sticking around in my head for a time after finishing. Also some absolutely lovely prose, a bit of wit ( Stephen!.. you'll have to read it to know) and wisdom along the way which made it an enjoyable read.
August 31, 2026
I already love Jamie Guiney's short stories so I was really keen to read his debut novel. And what a book! The characters are delightful, well-rounded and totally real. The setting is a real draw—a lighthouse on an island in the Mid-Atlantic. This caught my imagination before I even opened the book. Jamie Guiney is skilled in guiding the reader through the plot, his writing is crisp and clear and his novel delivers total emotional immersion for the reader. And I love the humour wrapped up in the Granda John character. I love everything about this book. Totally recommend. ❤️
June 23, 2026
The Lightning is an excellent companion to spend the weekend with. It's an atmospheric book with a strong sense of place and a tenderness what will stay in your chest after you put it down. Highly recommend!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews