Stay

Abbey, a young Canadian woman living in a village near Galway, is on the run: from her family, from her past, and from the man she loves. Dermot, a middle-aged academic besotted by drink and sorrow, is powerless to hold her. Around them, dark secrets are erupting from a past that can’t stay buried for long: an ancient, unexplained body in the bog, a hidden pregnancy, a death that strikes at the heart of the community.

Caught between history and obligation in a land poised uneasily between past and future, their relationship is about to face its biggest test. Aislinn Hunter’s acclaimed debut novel is a compelling tale of modern love in a new Ireland, a rich evocation of two lives and their fight to stay as one.

Praise for Stay:

‘This is a story of complicated relationships, of love, loss, abandonment, failure, hope, all skillfully twined together. A gentle, sweet-natured novel, masterfully written’ Books in Canada

'Accurate, poetic and confident, Stay is a mood novel. It relies on sustaining a tone, and the tone is beautifully maintained throughout. Aislinn Hunter is a very subtle, very gentle writer. There is a clear poetic sensibility running through the novel, and a couple of great dramatic set pieces, beautifully written' The View, RTÉ

'The characters are well defined. Hunter's way with words is soft and lyrical … and there is the necessary aura of tension throughout. The strengths of her writing - her observational powers, in particular - make for beautiful prose' Sunday Business Post

'The Canadian writer brings a poet's sensibility to this moving, accomplished debut novel which has been shortlisted for the Amazon First Novel Award. Hunter fluently catches the nuance of a small rural community, their concerns, their dialogue. A sense of time passing … is deepened by the archaeological backdrop and the sense of whole centuries passing. Hunter's canvas spans ancient and current, modernizing Ireland. Stay marks the arrival of a talented new voice' Irish Examiner

'Aislinn Hunter has already won prizes in her native Canada for Stay. And with her wonderful ear for dialogue and mesmerizing scene setting, this comes as no surprise. The writing is luscious, and you have to admire a novel that so brilliantly captures the pace of life in rural Ireland' Books Ireland

'This debut novel is a compelling tale of modern love in a new Ireland' Belfast Telegraph

'Stay combines an insider's intimate knowledge of contemporary Ireland with an outsider's sharp eye for its peculiarities. An obliquely charming, tough-minded tale of love and community' Emma Donoghue, award winning author of Slammerkin