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Inch Levels
A haunting debut set in the harsh, beautiful landscape of Ireland's north coast.
Patrick Jackson lies on his deathbed in Derry and recalls a family history marked by secrecy and silence, and a striking absence of conventional pieties. He remembers the death of an eight-year-old girl, whose body was found on reclaimed land called Inch Levels on the shoreline of Lough Swilly. And he is visited by his beloved but troubled sister Margaret and by his despised brother-in-law Robert, and by Sarah, his hard, unchallengeable mother.
Each of them could talk about events in the past that might explain the bleakness of their relationships, but leaving things unsaid has become a way of life. Guilt and memory beat against them, as shock waves from bombs in Derry travel down the river to shake the windows of those who have escaped the city.
Patrick Jackson lies on his deathbed in Derry and recalls a family history marked by secrecy and silence, and a striking absence of conventional pieties. He remembers the death of an eight-year-old girl, whose body was found on reclaimed land called Inch Levels on the shoreline of Lough Swilly. And he is visited by his beloved but troubled sister Margaret and by his despised brother-in-law Robert, and by Sarah, his hard, unchallengeable mother.
Each of them could talk about events in the past that might explain the bleakness of their relationships, but leaving things unsaid has become a way of life. Guilt and memory beat against them, as shock waves from bombs in Derry travel down the river to shake the windows of those who have escaped the city.
352 pages, Paperback
Published March 9, 2017
12 people are currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Neil Hegarty
14 books23 followersNEIL HEGARTY grew up in Derry, Northern Ireland, and now lives in Dublin.
Neil has written a range of fiction and non-fiction. His books include:
THE JEWEL, a novel published in October 2019;
INCH LEVELS, a debut novel published in September 2016, and shortlisted for the Kerry Group Novel of the Year award;
FROST: THAT WAS THE LIFE THAT WAS, the definitive and best-selling biography of Sir David Frost;
THE SECRET HISTORY OF OUR STREETS, which accompanies a major BBC season of programming on London;
the best-selling STORY OF IRELAND, written to accompany the BBC-RTE television history of the same name; and
DUBLIN: A VIEW FROM THE GROUND, a cultural history of the Irish capital over a thousand years.
Neil has written a range of fiction and non-fiction. His books include:
THE JEWEL, a novel published in October 2019;
INCH LEVELS, a debut novel published in September 2016, and shortlisted for the Kerry Group Novel of the Year award;
FROST: THAT WAS THE LIFE THAT WAS, the definitive and best-selling biography of Sir David Frost;
THE SECRET HISTORY OF OUR STREETS, which accompanies a major BBC season of programming on London;
the best-selling STORY OF IRELAND, written to accompany the BBC-RTE television history of the same name; and
DUBLIN: A VIEW FROM THE GROUND, a cultural history of the Irish capital over a thousand years.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
August 12, 2018
A book set in Ireland, written by an Irish writer, that has secrets at its core, is not an uncommon theme. This book has a male narrator, and is set on the Derry/Donegal border. For those unfamiliar with the geography of the place, this is the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. Northwest of the city of Derry (Londonderry to some) is the Inishowen Peninsula, part of Donegal, and between Lough Foyle on its east, Lough Swilly on its west, and the Atlantic on its north. https://www.ireland.com/en-us/amazing...
The geography is critical to the story, as the family at its center are based in Donegal, but later some family lives near Derry. Northern Ireland is made up of 6 of the 9 counties of Ulster, and County Donegal, one of the Ulster counties, is in the Republic. The political leanings of Donegal residents align with the Republic of Ireland, thus in the segment of the novel set in World War II, they are quite hostile to Allied troops, including Americans and Canadians, stationed in Derry. None of this is explained as this is a literary novel, not popular fiction. But I found at times, being unsure of the Donegal geography, I was unsure of characters' motivation.
The story opens with the disappearance and murder of a young girl. Patrick Taylor, the primary teller of this story, is a man dying of cancer, long before he would be expected to leave this world. He is a teacher in a boys' school, and seems to be in his late thirties/early forties. He has three visitors who come to see him in hospital - his sister, Margaret; his mother, Sarah; and his brother-in-law Robert, who he despises. All have secrets, and through the novel, these secrets are revealed.
At the core, this is a novel of gorgeous prose. We see Donegal as bleak and also beautiful. Its people are withdrawn, quick to judge others, and repressed. Some leave to go to Derry or London. They often come back. Derry is this novel is the Derry of the World War II years, and Derry during the Troubles. The images, the way life carried on in those times, are similar. Inch Levels of the title is a beach in Donegal, and a setting at the center of the secrets.
This is a first novel for Hegarty who was born in Derry. He has written non-fiction. I found it to be slow-burning, but at the end stunning. It was the Irish Times Book Club choice for last September (2017). This link is to an podcast about the book and a conversation with Hegarty.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/bo...
The geography is critical to the story, as the family at its center are based in Donegal, but later some family lives near Derry. Northern Ireland is made up of 6 of the 9 counties of Ulster, and County Donegal, one of the Ulster counties, is in the Republic. The political leanings of Donegal residents align with the Republic of Ireland, thus in the segment of the novel set in World War II, they are quite hostile to Allied troops, including Americans and Canadians, stationed in Derry. None of this is explained as this is a literary novel, not popular fiction. But I found at times, being unsure of the Donegal geography, I was unsure of characters' motivation.
The story opens with the disappearance and murder of a young girl. Patrick Taylor, the primary teller of this story, is a man dying of cancer, long before he would be expected to leave this world. He is a teacher in a boys' school, and seems to be in his late thirties/early forties. He has three visitors who come to see him in hospital - his sister, Margaret; his mother, Sarah; and his brother-in-law Robert, who he despises. All have secrets, and through the novel, these secrets are revealed.
At the core, this is a novel of gorgeous prose. We see Donegal as bleak and also beautiful. Its people are withdrawn, quick to judge others, and repressed. Some leave to go to Derry or London. They often come back. Derry is this novel is the Derry of the World War II years, and Derry during the Troubles. The images, the way life carried on in those times, are similar. Inch Levels of the title is a beach in Donegal, and a setting at the center of the secrets.
This is a first novel for Hegarty who was born in Derry. He has written non-fiction. I found it to be slow-burning, but at the end stunning. It was the Irish Times Book Club choice for last September (2017). This link is to an podcast about the book and a conversation with Hegarty.
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/bo...
December 31, 2023
In brief - A book to be patient with and savour. Bleak dark and poetic.
In full -
The prologue sets the scene in this book - it is 1983 and a young girl is first missing and then found dead. In the present time Patrick is dying of cancer in bed in hospital. In his thirties he is reflecting on his life. We get to know Patrick's family as they come to visit him. In the main this book revolves around the lives of Patrick, Margaret, his sister, and Sarah, their mother. Incidents in their lives are explored, sometimes from more than one perspective. This is no doubt that their lives hold secrets from the past. These experiences have influenced them as individuals as well as affecting the family as a whole.
The writing is very descriptive and draws effective pictures of Ireland. Not only are there tales of family life but also of the "Troubles" and how they have touched those in this story. There is frequently a poetic feel to the writing. As the threads from the individual stories come together the culmination of this story is both bleak and powerful and understated. For me this is a book to be patient with and savour. It does travel slowly and I can understand if some might criticize the pace however the writing has quality and depth.
Note - I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
In full -
The prologue sets the scene in this book - it is 1983 and a young girl is first missing and then found dead. In the present time Patrick is dying of cancer in bed in hospital. In his thirties he is reflecting on his life. We get to know Patrick's family as they come to visit him. In the main this book revolves around the lives of Patrick, Margaret, his sister, and Sarah, their mother. Incidents in their lives are explored, sometimes from more than one perspective. This is no doubt that their lives hold secrets from the past. These experiences have influenced them as individuals as well as affecting the family as a whole.
The writing is very descriptive and draws effective pictures of Ireland. Not only are there tales of family life but also of the "Troubles" and how they have touched those in this story. There is frequently a poetic feel to the writing. As the threads from the individual stories come together the culmination of this story is both bleak and powerful and understated. For me this is a book to be patient with and savour. It does travel slowly and I can understand if some might criticize the pace however the writing has quality and depth.
Note - I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review
May 15, 2017
An infinitely sad story, but beautiful as well. The book needs patience to be read but it deserves it. It's a novel with a lot of secrets, secrets and their consequences which slowly unravel. I'm impressed by this debut, I don't often feel as touched by a book as I did now.
September 12, 2016
Wonderfully evocative and haunting, this book slowly seeps under your skin and draws you into its web of family intrigue. This is a slowly paced read, but this in no way detracts from its quality and depth. Linking together multiple threads of narrative, the writing absolutely oozes with poetic description, presenting a brutally realistic picture of Ireland in the midst of its troubled past and culminating in an ending that is both powerful and undeniably poignant.
January 4, 2022
Great writing, wonderful prose and a book I thought that I was going to enjoy. The plot didn’t really do it for me, for example how Robert suddenly turned out to a murderer basically from nowhere - maybe the story would have been more powerful without the murder - the intricacies of the family complications would have been enough material for the story
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 17, 2023
Patrick Jackson liegt im Sterben. Während er auf seinen Tod wartet, läst er sein Leben noch einmal an sich vorbeiziehen. Auch für seine Besucher ist sein Zimmer der Ort, an dem sie über ihr eigenes Leben nachdenken.
Inch Levels beginnt mit dem Verschwinden eines kleinen Mädchens, das wenig später tot aufgefunden wird. Mir war früh klar, was mit ihr passiert ist und wer der Schuldige war. Aber darum geht es auch nicht in diesem Buch. Diese Episode ist nur ein weiteres Beispiel, wie Patricks Familie funktioniert oder besser: wie sie nicht funktioniert. Die Jacksons sind nur durch ihr Blut und nicht durch echte Zuneigung miteinander verbunden.
In der Familie wird nicht geredet. Nicht miteinander, aber auch nicht übereinander. Jeder scheint nur mit sich selbst und seinen Problemen beschäftigt zu sein. Das Leben der anderen Familienmitglieder stört nur.
So ist es kein Wunder, dass keines der Familienmitglieder sympathisch wirkt. Gerade Patrick ist unglaublich unhöflich und unfreundlich. Das mag daran liegen, dass er sich mit seinem Schicksal nicht abfinden kann. Aber so, wie er in seinen Rückblenden wirkt, macht er auf mich keinen anderen Eindruck. Früher hat er sich manchmal noch zurückgenommen, weil er die Menschen um sich herum nicht vor den Kopf stoßen konnte. Jetzt braucht er das nicht mehr zu tun und so kommt der wahre Patrick zum Vorschein.
Auch wenn mich die Geschichte am Anfang berührt hat, hat mich die Sprachlosigkeit der Personen im weiteren Verlauf immer mehr Abstand nehmen lassen. Es hat keinen Spaß gemacht, diese Familie zu beobachten, die nur noch aus Pflichtgefühl zusammen ist. Aber ich glaube, das ist genau das, was der Autor vermitteln wollte.
Inch Levels beginnt mit dem Verschwinden eines kleinen Mädchens, das wenig später tot aufgefunden wird. Mir war früh klar, was mit ihr passiert ist und wer der Schuldige war. Aber darum geht es auch nicht in diesem Buch. Diese Episode ist nur ein weiteres Beispiel, wie Patricks Familie funktioniert oder besser: wie sie nicht funktioniert. Die Jacksons sind nur durch ihr Blut und nicht durch echte Zuneigung miteinander verbunden.
In der Familie wird nicht geredet. Nicht miteinander, aber auch nicht übereinander. Jeder scheint nur mit sich selbst und seinen Problemen beschäftigt zu sein. Das Leben der anderen Familienmitglieder stört nur.
So ist es kein Wunder, dass keines der Familienmitglieder sympathisch wirkt. Gerade Patrick ist unglaublich unhöflich und unfreundlich. Das mag daran liegen, dass er sich mit seinem Schicksal nicht abfinden kann. Aber so, wie er in seinen Rückblenden wirkt, macht er auf mich keinen anderen Eindruck. Früher hat er sich manchmal noch zurückgenommen, weil er die Menschen um sich herum nicht vor den Kopf stoßen konnte. Jetzt braucht er das nicht mehr zu tun und so kommt der wahre Patrick zum Vorschein.
Auch wenn mich die Geschichte am Anfang berührt hat, hat mich die Sprachlosigkeit der Personen im weiteren Verlauf immer mehr Abstand nehmen lassen. Es hat keinen Spaß gemacht, diese Familie zu beobachten, die nur noch aus Pflichtgefühl zusammen ist. Aber ich glaube, das ist genau das, was der Autor vermitteln wollte.
July 31, 2017
Without doubt there is some beautiful writing in this novel, but ultimately I found the whole thing unsatisfying.
Patrick is in hospital dying from cancer and is reflecting on his life. The narrative drifts about between the present and the past as he relects on events from his short life. Every now and then one of these episodes is told again from the viewpoint of another character. Usually I find this is an effective device but it did not work in the context of this story - it seemed intrusive in the memories of a dying man to jump out briefly to another's perspective.
His relations visit him and as the story progresses we learn the history of this dysfunctional family and their often toxic relationships. If that wasn't enough, there is also the mystery of a missing girl whose body was found in the water at Inch Levels in chapter one. This for me was the least satisfying element to the novel - the whole storyline seemed unlikely and it provided a highly obvious ending.
Neil Hegarty definitely can write - some of the descriptions are haunting and vivid. However for me it felt like there were three separate novels trying to get out of the one book.
Patrick is in hospital dying from cancer and is reflecting on his life. The narrative drifts about between the present and the past as he relects on events from his short life. Every now and then one of these episodes is told again from the viewpoint of another character. Usually I find this is an effective device but it did not work in the context of this story - it seemed intrusive in the memories of a dying man to jump out briefly to another's perspective.
His relations visit him and as the story progresses we learn the history of this dysfunctional family and their often toxic relationships. If that wasn't enough, there is also the mystery of a missing girl whose body was found in the water at Inch Levels in chapter one. This for me was the least satisfying element to the novel - the whole storyline seemed unlikely and it provided a highly obvious ending.
Neil Hegarty definitely can write - some of the descriptions are haunting and vivid. However for me it felt like there were three separate novels trying to get out of the one book.
January 4, 2026
Inch Levels made me laugh, cry - gasp aloud many times. It is compelling, riveting, and totally absorbing. There were moments when I was almost overwhelmed with emotion.
Simply put, it is the very best novel I have ever read - I swear, no exaggeration - and Hegarty is the best Irish writer, hands down, and now the one whose work I most admire.
It is a masterpiece of literary fiction, I can find no other way to describe it.
His prose is sublime, and he deftly manages a complex narrative and multiple points of view with great skill. His characters are alive - as real and vital as real, living people - and gain an existence well beyond the pages of the novel. They still populate my mind, and I am still appreciating their many facets. I doubt they will ever leave me, to be honest.
You MUST read this book. And while you do, I shall be re-reading it, and studying most closely how a true master goes about his craft.
Simply put, it is the very best novel I have ever read - I swear, no exaggeration - and Hegarty is the best Irish writer, hands down, and now the one whose work I most admire.
It is a masterpiece of literary fiction, I can find no other way to describe it.
His prose is sublime, and he deftly manages a complex narrative and multiple points of view with great skill. His characters are alive - as real and vital as real, living people - and gain an existence well beyond the pages of the novel. They still populate my mind, and I am still appreciating their many facets. I doubt they will ever leave me, to be honest.
You MUST read this book. And while you do, I shall be re-reading it, and studying most closely how a true master goes about his craft.
August 3, 2018
If the past is a foreign country, it is one to which the Jacksons are constantly traveling. Layers of memory and narrative build as this family's story gradually emerges and explodes. The atmosphere of repression and claustrophobia is brilliantly delineated in lyrical prose that mirrors the act of memory; returning again and again, exploring a little more each time, until all is revealed.
May 22, 2020
This author can definitely write. There are some beautiful descriptions in this book but unfortunately it doesn't flow well in my opinion. It's like two or three different books in one. None of the characters' stories are ever fully exploded really and even though the book is about secrets, Hegarty needed to reveal a bit more in order to make this book a cohesive satisfying read.
March 1, 2017
Moody and Cinematic
Whilst this tale is well told it is also somewhat depressing. The backdrop is so well described that it becomes an image impressed upon the mind. Would make a great film.
Whilst this tale is well told it is also somewhat depressing. The backdrop is so well described that it becomes an image impressed upon the mind. Would make a great film.
July 19, 2020
I have to say i regretted starting this book when i got almost quarter of the way although i finished the book i actually really hated the style of the story where the highlight of the story happens first then the back story the rest of the way ruined it for me
January 21, 2023
I really wanted to like this as it's a local author to me. It's just not my style, though I think my old literature professors would love it. Choppy, rhythmic, poetic prose from a very intelligent author tells a bleak story subtly; too much is unsaid for too long and that isn't for me.
April 30, 2024
I need a story and characters that get under my skin. I feel this book was all prose and no character development. I nearly gave up on it but came back due to reviews citing a need for "patience". The ending did pick up, but for me, the journey wasn't worth it.
September 26, 2021
This is another book from a box of stories, and I have to say I found it hard going.
October 4, 2021
I found hard to get into in
February 3, 2022
It was a good book, a little confusing to start with but once I understood how it followed it became easier to understand.
May 13, 2025
Not my cup of tea; very slow, very character/relationship heavy, with little plot.
September 20, 2025
I felt that nothing much happened…Although it was fine enough to get through.
May 10, 2017
Terrible violence lurks behind the beautiful landscape of Ireland’s north coast. A father who takes a belt to his child; another child’s body washed up on the shore; the bombs of the Troubles; and the soldiers fighting the rest of Europe’s war. Then there’s the quiet violence of a mother’s love withheld and the false selves and secrets that takes its place.
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Ireland’s Subterfuge and Fury http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/...
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Ireland’s Subterfuge and Fury http://annegoodwin.weebly.com/1/post/...
March 15, 2017
Patrick is in his thirties but in hospital dying of cancer. He is visited by his sister, Margaret, mother, Sarah and brother-in-law, Robert. In a series of multi-character narratives, these characters reveal stories about the family and their past lives that reveal why they are as they are. Thus we find out why Patrick hates his brother-in-law, why his mother Sarah is so reticent to express love, even for her own children, and how life in General and the Irish situation over the years has affected the family. The storytelling is great although it does jump about a lot, both in time and in the character who is speaking, from one page break to the next. Several surprises and shocks are in store for the reader as the book progresses, some of which I saw coming and some which I didn't! The author is not perhaps as lyrical at the moment as my favourite Irish authors, Colm Toibin and Donal Ryan, but this is a great effort for a first novel and I would certainly read more of his work. Nearly a 5 star read for me but happy to award 9/10.
September 30, 2016
Inch Levels is a novel set in the area around Lough Swilly, in Donegal and Derry, and explores the influence of secrecy and pain on a family living there.
Brother and sister Patrick and Margaret have always lived in Derry, and have come of age in the early seventies, in a troubled city. They are close, a closeness intensified and necessitated by the remoteness of their mother Sarah. Time is now running out for Patrick, and as he looks to his memories for comfort, the history of the family members is unfolded, providing some understanding of what each has become.
This descriptive prose, portraying a stark, beautiful landscape, and the author’s obvious understanding of it, would be enough in itself to make this book a pleasure. But there is more, much more. The story is teased out, the characters are caught in circumstances not of their own making, and tied to obligations which, even as the end of life approaches, are difficult to escape.
This is a lyrical debut work, deserving of a wide readership.
Huge thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read it
Brother and sister Patrick and Margaret have always lived in Derry, and have come of age in the early seventies, in a troubled city. They are close, a closeness intensified and necessitated by the remoteness of their mother Sarah. Time is now running out for Patrick, and as he looks to his memories for comfort, the history of the family members is unfolded, providing some understanding of what each has become.
This descriptive prose, portraying a stark, beautiful landscape, and the author’s obvious understanding of it, would be enough in itself to make this book a pleasure. But there is more, much more. The story is teased out, the characters are caught in circumstances not of their own making, and tied to obligations which, even as the end of life approaches, are difficult to escape.
This is a lyrical debut work, deserving of a wide readership.
Huge thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read it
January 4, 2017
A young girl goes missing at the start of this novel and this story winds through the rest of the novel. Patrick is terminallly ill and his family visit him in hospital. He is in his thirties and each family looks back over their lives and experiences. The novel is set around Loughrey Swilly which brings an intimacy with it. I now want more of Neil Hegarty.....
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October 28, 2016Family and history combine in this intriguing debut novel according to http://alifeinbooks.co.uk/2016/10/inc...
February 12, 2017
This is such a dense, complex, and beautiful novel. I'm not sure my distracted state of mind made for the best reading conditions, but I'll most likely read this one again somewhere down the road.
July 21, 2018
Dark story of small town Ireland. Heavy going at times but glad I persevered.
March 27, 2017
This was quite a painfully moving story about a family used to harbouring secrets including a particularly horrifying one. All too terribly believable, especially the redemptive ending.
May 2, 2017
What an enthralling debut novel. Its intricate plot is skillfully woven in a way that commands the reader's full attention. It is beautifully crafted, with each word painstakingly contributing to a moving image that we may be afraid to view but are compelled to witness; yet what remains unsaid is even more haunting and powerful, lurking on the pages waiting to pounce. We are brought into the midst of a family that is dysfunctional on so many levels. Inch Levels is disturbing yet hopeful, insistently reminding us that each event in our lives leaves an indelible mark that propels us into our uncertain futures. Nothing that happens ever really goes away, until...and maybe even then, it stays with us.
This book will stay with me for a long time.
This book will stay with me for a long time.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews