Event overview
Goldsmiths book launch for Niall Bourke's Line
"That's the problem, thinks Willard. In the Line the dead still have a say and their say counts for double. It's a necrocracy and so everyone left alive walks into tomorrow facing backwards."
Willard, his mother and his girlfriend Nyla have spent their entire lives in an endless journey where daily survival is dictated by the ultimate imperative: obey the rules, or you will lose your place in the Line. Everything changes the day Willard's mother dies and he finds an incomprehensible book hidden among her few belongings...
In its Beckettian sparseness, Line pushes the boundaries of speculative, high concept fiction. Deeply moving, it also touches on many of the pressing issues of our turbulent world: migration and the refugee crisis, big data and the erosion of democracy, climate change, colonialism, economic exploitation, social conformity and religious fanaticism. A stunning debut from a major new voice in Irish literature.
In praise of Line:
'An enthralling work of high imagination and storytelling flair.' - Donal Ryan
'Line is an extraordinary novel – gripping, unsettling, brilliant.' - Roddy Doyle
'A powerful, discomfiting fable of uncertainty and failure, poetically crafted, politically pointed, a Ballardian take on the near-now that shows us how fleeting our idea of absoluteness really is.' - June Caldwell
'Line is a modern parable of the most ambitious kind. A Grapes of Wrath for the age of digital capitalism.' - Rónán Hession
'Beautifully written, terrifyingly intelligent, shot through with poetry, political nous and a darkly comic sensibility. Queuing up for a loaf of sourdough will never feel quite the same again.' - Hilary Fannin
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 16 Apr 2021 |
4:00pm - 4:30pm The book launch will begin after the conference |
Accessibility
If you are attending an event and need the College to help with any mobility requirements you may have, please contact the event organiser in advance to ensure we can accommodate your needs.
