Longlisted for The Guardian First Book Award 2015, A Readers' Choice Longlisted for the Warwick Prize for Writing 2015 "This is a gimmick-free novel of truthfulness, uncorrupted by a yearning for praise. At its heart is a touching and inspiriting sense of empathy, that rarest but most human of traits. Boundaries melt, other hearts become knowable. This is the work of the highest artistic seriousness. ...Baume proves that the real can still be the province of literature, the only art form to which we can turn, heart in our hands, for an uplifting, consoling and dizzying reminder that language is the most sacred thing we’ve made."—Joseph O'Connor,
for
The Irish Times "Unbearably poignant and beautifully told."—Eimear McBride, author of
A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing "The story is powerful, heartbreaking, told with great control. The writing is superb...I had an image of all of language standing to attention, eager to serve this writer."—Mary Costello, author of
Academy Street "In a relentlessly inventive language that, it seems, can maneouvre anywhere and describe anything, Baume’s story of a man and his dog examines and elegizes the myriad strange, ramshackle, and ephemeral worlds locked deep inside the world. An exceptional, startling, and original book."—Colin Barrett, author of
Young Skins "Touching and weird and sometimes comical and sometimes heartbreaking . . . Sad, Solid, Fragile, Witty
."—Kjersti Skomsvold, author of
The Faster I Walk, the Smaller I Am "An important and quite brilliant new Irish writing talent."—Irish Independent
"What makes Baume's book worth reading is the stark beauty of her prose. Her lyrical depictions of the Irish seascape are particularly evocative, and reminiscent of Tim Winton at his wild and wintry best...Baume's stunning debut shows that Irish fiction is well and truly back on the map. With
Spill Simmer Falter Wither she has created a dark, tender portrait of what it's like to live life on the margins."—
The Sydney Morning Herald "Ambitious and impressive."—
Times Literary Supplement "A heart-breaking read from a major new talent."—
Independent on Sunday "An ambitious stylist with an astonishing eye for detail and a clear passion for language. But it is the beautifully measured control of plot and the authenticity of the narrative voice that most impresses."—
Irish Examiner "A remarkable voice that grabs the reader early."—
Sunday Business Post"A masterpiece of language, a demonstration of the heights that words are able to reach when guided by a master hand."--
tn2 MagazineWinner of the Davy Byrnes Award Longlisted for
The Guardian First Book Award 2015, A Readers' Choice Longlisted for the Warwick Prize for Writing 2015 "A tour de force.... No writer since JM Coetzee or Cormac McCarthy has written about an animal with such intensity. This is a novel bursting with brio, braggadocio and bite. Again and again it wows you with its ambition...At its heart is a touching and inspiriting sense of empathy, that rarest but most human of traits. Boundaries melt, other hearts become knowable...This book is a stunning and wonderful achievement by a writer touched by greatness."—Joseph O'Connor, for
The Irish Times “Unbearably poignant and beautifully told.”—Eimear McBride, author of
A Girl is a Half-formed Thing “Extraordinary . . .
Spill Simmer Falter Wither is a heartbreaking read, and heralds Baume as a major new talent.” —
Independent on Sunday “Ambitious and impressive . . . Baume’s engaging, intriguing and brightly original first novel may mark a comparably significant debut.”—
Times Literary Supplement “One of the most quietly devastating books of the year...With
Spill Simmer Falter Wither she has created a dark, tender portrait of what it’s like to live life on the margins.”—
Sydney Morning Herald "An important and quite brilliant new Irish writing talent."—
Irish Independent "An ambitious stylist with an astonishing eye for detail and a clear passion for language. But it is the beautifully measured control of plot and the authenticity of the narrative voice that most impresses."
—Irish Examiner "In a relentlessly inventive language that, it seems, can maneuver anywhere and describe anything, Baume’s story of a man and his dog examines and elegizes the myriad strange, ramshackle, and ephemeral worlds locked deep inside the world. An exceptional, startling, and original book."—Colin Barrett, author of
Young Skins “Powerful, heartbreaking, told with great control. The writing is superb . . . I had an image of all language standing to attention, eager to serve this writer.” —Mary Costello, author of
Academy Street "Touching and weird and sometimes comical and sometimes heartbreaking...Sad, Solid, Fragile, Witty
."—Kjersti Skomsvold, author of
The Faster I Walk, the Smaller I Am Longlisted for The Guardian First Book Award 2015, A Readers' Choice Longlisted for the Warwick Prize for Writing 2015 Longlisted for 2015 Edinburgh First Novel Award "A tour de force.... No writer since JM Coetzee or Cormac McCarthy has written about an animal with such intensity. This is a novel bursting with brio, braggadocio and bite. Again and again it wows you with its ambition...At its heart is a touching and inspiriting sense of empathy, that rarest but most human of traits. Boundaries melt, other hearts become knowable...This book is a stunning and wonderful achievement by a writer touched by greatness."—Joseph O'Connor, for The Irish Times “Unbearably poignant and beautifully told.”—Eimear McBride, author of A Girl is a Half-formed Thing “Extraordinary . . . Spill Simmer Falter Wither is a heartbreaking read, and heralds Baume as a major new talent.” —Independent on Sunday “Ambitious and impressive . . . Baume’s engaging, intriguing and brightly original first novel may mark a comparably significant debut.”—Times Literary Supplement “One of the most quietly devastating books of the year...With Spill Simmer Falter Wither she has created a dark, tender portrait of what it’s like to live life on the margins.”—Sydney Morning Herald "An important and quite brilliant new Irish writing talent."—Irish Independent "An ambitious stylist with an astonishing eye for detail and a clear passion for language. But it is the beautifully measured control of plot and the authenticity of the narrative voice that most impresses."—Irish Examiner "In a relentlessly inventive language that, it seems, can maneuver anywhere and describe anything, Baume’s story of a man and his dog examines and elegizes the myriad strange, ramshackle, and ephemeral worlds locked deep inside the world. An exceptional, startling, and original book."—Colin Barrett, author of Young Skins “Powerful, heartbreaking, told with great control. The writing is superb . . . I had an image of all language standing to attention, eager to serve this writer.” —Mary Costello, author of Academy Street "Touching and weird and sometimes comical and sometimes heartbreaking...Sad, Solid, Fragile, Witty."—Kjersti Skomsvold, author of The Faster I Walk, the Smaller I Am Winner of the Davy Byrnes Award Longlisted for The Guardian First Book Award 2015, A Readers' Choice Longlisted for the Warwick Prize for Writing 2015 "A tour de force.... No writer since JM Coetzee or Cormac McCarthy has written about an animal with such intensity. This is a novel bursting with brio, braggadocio and bite. Again and again it wows you with its ambition...At its heart is a touching and inspiriting sense of empathy, that rarest but most human of traits. Boundaries melt, other hearts become knowable...This book is a stunning and wonderful achievement by a writer touched by greatness."—Joseph O'Connor, for
The Irish Times “Unbearably poignant and beautifully told.”—Eimear McBride, author of
A Girl is a Half-formed Thing “Extraordinary . . .
Spill Simmer Falter Wither is a heartbreaking read, and heralds Baume as a major new talent.” —
Independent on Sunday “Ambitious and impressive . . . Baume’s engaging, intriguing and brightly original first novel may mark a comparably significant debut.”—
Times Literary Supplement “One of the most quietly devastating books of the year...With
Spill Simmer Falter Wither she has created a dark, tender portrait of what it’s like to live life on the margins.”—
Sydney Morning Herald "An important and quite brilliant new Irish writing talent."—
Irish Independent "An ambitious stylist with an astonishing eye for detail and a clear passion for language. But it is the beautifully measured control of plot and the authenticity of the narrative voice that most impresses."
—Irish Examiner "In a relentlessly inventive language that, it seems, can maneuver anywhere and describe anything, Baume’s story of a man and his dog examines and elegizes the myriad strange, ramshackle, and ephemeral worlds locked deep inside the world. An exceptional, startling, and original book."—Colin Barrett, author of
Young Skins “Powerful, heartbreaking, told with great control. The writing is superb . . . I had an image of all language standing to attention, eager to serve this writer.” —Mary Costello, author of
Academy Street "Touching and weird and sometimes comical and sometimes heartbreaking...Sad, Solid, Fragile, Witty
."—Kjersti Skomsvold, author of
The Faster I Walk, the Smaller I Am Long-listed for The Guardian First Book Award 2015, A Readers' Choice Long-listed for the Warwick Prize for Writing 2015 Long-listed for 2015 Edinburgh First Novel Award "A tour de force.... No writer since JM Coetzee or Cormac McCarthy has written about an animal with such intensity. This is a novel bursting with brio, braggadocio and bite. Again and again it wows you with its ambition...At its heart is a touching and inspiriting sense of empathy, that rarest but most human of traits. Boundaries melt, other hearts become knowable...This book is a stunning and wonderful achievement by a writer touched by greatness."—Joseph O'Connor, for The Irish Times “Unbearably poignant and beautifully told.”—Eimear McBride, author of A Girl is a Half-formed Thing “Extraordinary . . . Spill Simmer Falter Wither is a heartbreaking read, and heralds Baume as a major new talent.” —Independent on Sunday “Ambitious and impressive . . . Baume’s engaging, intriguing and brightly original first novel may mark a comparably significant debut.”—Times Literary Supplement “One of the most quietly devastating books of the year...With Spill Simmer Falter Wither she has created a dark, tender portrait of what it’s like to live life on the margins.”—Sydney Morning Herald "[A] fine debut...Baume succeeds in reawakening her reader's capacity for wonder...so much so that the book and its one-eyed dog became companions I was loathe to leave."—The Guardian "An important and quite brilliant new Irish writing talent."—Irish Independent "An ambitious stylist with an astonishing eye for detail and a clear passion for language. But it is the beautifully measured control of plot and the authenticity of the narrative voice that most impresses."—Irish Examiner "In a relentlessly inventive language that, it seems, can maneuver anywhere and describe anything, Baume’s story of a man and his dog examines and elegizes the myriad strange, ramshackle, and ephemeral worlds locked deep inside the world. An exceptional, startling, and original book."—Colin Barrett, author of Young Skins “Powerful, heartbreaking, told with great control. The writing is superb . . . I had an image of all language standing to attention, eager to serve this writer.” —Mary Costello, author of Academy Street "Touching and weird and sometimes comical and sometimes heartbreaking...Sad, Solid, Fragile, Witty."—Kjersti Skomsvold, author of The Faster I Walk, the Smaller I Am Longlisted for the Warwick Prize for Writing 2015 "This is a gimmick-free novel of truthfulness, uncorrupted by a yearning for praise. At its heart is a touching and inspiriting sense of empathy, that rarest but most human of traits. Boundaries melt, other hearts become knowable. This is the work of the highest artistic seriousness. ...Baume proves that the real can still be the province of literature, the only art form to which we can turn, heart in our hands, for an uplifting, consoling and dizzying reminder that language is the most sacred thing we’ve made."—Joseph O'Connor,
for
The Irish Times "Unbearably poignant and beautifully told."—Eimear McBride, author of
A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing "The story is powerful, heartbreaking, told with great control. The writing is superb...I had an image of all of language standing to attention, eager to serve this writer."—Mary Costello, author of
Academy Street "In a relentlessly inventive language that, it seems, can maneouvre anywhere and describe anything, Baume’s story of a man and his dog examines and elegizes the myriad strange, ramshackle, and ephemeral worlds locked deep inside the world. An exceptional, startling, and original book."—Colin Barrett, author of
Young Skins "Touching and weird and sometimes comical and sometimes heartbreaking . . . Sad, Solid, Fragile, Witty
."—Kjersti Skomsvold, author of
The Faster I Walk, the Smaller I Am "An important and quite brilliant new Irish writing talent."—Irish Independent
"What makes Baume's book worth reading is the stark beauty of her prose. Her lyrical depictions of the Irish seascape are particularly evocative, and reminiscent of Tim Winton at his wild and wintry best...Baume's stunning debut shows that Irish fiction is well and truly back on the map. With
Spill Simmer Falter Wither she has created a dark, tender portrait of what it's like to live life on the margins."—
The Sydney Morning Herald