'Exceptional' The Times
'Luminous . . . Unexpected' Guardian
Shortlisted for Novel of the Year at the Irish Book Awards, the Dalkey Literary Awards and the Kerry Group Awards
Luke O'Brien has retreated from the city to live a quiet life on his family land situated at the bend of the River Sullane. Surrounded by the Irish countryside and alone in the crumbling house, he longs for a return to his family's heyday. He has given up on love and relationships and instead turned to books for solace.
One morning a young woman arrives at his door. Her appearance could have profound consequences for him and his family. But will he let her into his closed life?
In a novel that pays glorious homage to Joyce, The River Capture tells of one man's descent into near madness, and the possibility of rescue. This is a novel about love, loyalty and the raging forces of nature. More than anything, it is a book about the life of the mind and the redemptive powers of art.
Costello's writing is truly beautiful and this book will hypnotise you from the first page to the last ― Stylist
Elegantly written . . . Exquisite and impressionistic prose ― Observer
Powerful . . . The River Capture reminds us that everything is connected, that we are, as humans, not separate from the teeming world of nature around us . . . Lyrical ― Financial Times
The River Capture is breathtaking. It is profound in the most bruising way; elegant, and then thrillingly savage; expansive, but masterfully precise, and full of sentences that made me choke on jealous rage. Costello is in a different class altogether -- LISA McINERNEY
Intense, engrossing, a novel that constantly subverts the reader's expectation - Mary Costello is a truly startling talent -- KEVIN BARRY
Luminous . . . Unexpected . . . An audacious act of literary ventriloquism and one that Costello pulls off astonishingly successfully . . . Joyce devotees will discover much to enjoy in this clever homage, while fans of contemporary Irish literature will find a subtle, slightly melancholy, engrossing read -- Melissa Harrison ― Guardian
Astonishingly bittersweet and beautiful, The River Capture is a quiet, important, hypnotic book about absolutely everything. It is as near perfect as it is possible for a novel to be -- SARA BAUME
One of the most surprising and original novels of 2019 . . . Exceptional . . . This is a sensory book that draws on the body to feed the mind ― The Times
An intellectual romp through language and word philosophy, and a self-confessed homage to James Joyce . . . Costello writes insightfully ― Sunday Times
