Description
The Throats of Birds is a new novel by the author of the acclaimed The Rule of War (Somerville Press, 2011). This satirical novel imagines a future in which Ireland becomes the private property of an oligarch, Robert Kavanagh. His wife Elizabeth decides to kill him ‘before he kills us all’. She receives unexpected support from Toby, an actor and mimic whose surreal podcasts disrupt Robert’s fantasies of a purified Ireland. When malign forces intervene Elizabeth isn’t sure whether she is a scapegoat who has lost everything – her children, her friends, her voice – or, worse, the beatified mother of the new nation she detests.
‘A wealthy dinner party unravels … An extraordinary story from a hugely talented writer’ – Mary McCarthy, Irish Independent
‘An audacious mix of savage satire and dystopian prophecy, a compelling and original novel of modern Ireland’ – Vincent Woods, RTÉ
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native of Dublin, Aoife Feeney has lived much of her life in Wicklow and Galway. Since the publication of The Rule of War she divides her time between Ireland and France. Of The Rule of War some critics wrote:
‘No Irish woman novelist has ever written about the ruder end of female sexuality more graphically. She cuts deep and she has a gift for comedy’.
Sunday Independent.
Katy Hayes in The Irish Times recognised ‘a fascinating debut, engaging with the current crisis in Irish life’.
The late Thomas Kilroy welcomed ‘a cool,witty, astringent and shocking exposé of the Dublin art scene.’
Frank McGuinness saluted ‘a wonderful new voice in Irish fiction.’