Pure Gold

One of the most exciting writers working in Ireland today — SALLY ROONEY, author of Normal People

Remarkable, rare and truly brilliant — MEGAN NOLAN, author of Acts of Desperation

Dark, funny, honest and engrossing — RODDY DOYLE, author of Love

Refreshing and ambitious — LISA MCINERNEY, author of The Rules of Revelation

On an island off Ireland’s west coast strange things are afoot: two teenage boys set fires while their worlds fall apart, a couple drive out to the hills in a last-ditch effort to save their marriage, a widow seeks a stranger’s help to bury her grief and a horse crashes a house party. Adrift in the treacherous waters of small-town boredom, the residents reach out with love and cruelty, desperation and hope, in their pursuit of connection.

Pure Gold is a bitterly funny, surprising and profoundly moving short story collection that crackles with the thrilling energy of a bold new literary voice, John Patrick McHugh.

Full of stylish brio — Colin Barrett, author of Young Skins

Hilarious, shocking, and disturbingly well-observed — Vanity Fair

Searing … John Patrick McHugh joins an illustrious generation of talented writers — Irish Times

Savagely funny — Nicole Flattery, author of Show Them a Good Time

Refreshing and ambitious — Lisa McInerney, author of The Blood Miracles