January 1965. The orphaned O'Leary siblings Tom, Jack, Anna and Peggy arrive in the village of Ballycrea, tight-lipped about their troubled past and desperate for a fresh start.
After being met with suspicion from most of the locals, the family are thrilled when they're taken under the wing of their well-respected neighbours, Bill and Betty Nevan, who offer them work, companionship and an opportunity to fit in.
But for one of the O'Learys, this new friendship sparks an intense attachment that makes the dynamic dangerous for all. It's difficult to bury secrets, but almost impossible to bury feelings...
Like Howarth's acclaimed debut, Heap Earth Upon It explores rural Irish life at a specific moment in time and delves into claustrophobic relationships and tangled identities, leaving you wondering who to trust until the very last page.
'Heap Earth Upon It is a tense and claustrophobic novel with gothic atmosphere which seeps into your bones like fog. It's a fascinating look at mid-century rural Irish life, and a brutal exploration of the corrosive impact of shame and secrecy. Chloe Michelle Howarth knows her sapphic yearning!' Rachel Dawson, author of Neon Roses
'Dark, passionate and poised. A remarkable story of the way rural Ireland haunts and is haunted. Intense and thrilling.' Soula Emmanuel, author of Wild Geese
'It's a clever and mysterious book that never collapses into ordinariness, and possesses an eerie, liminal, orphaned quality that lingers in the mind.' Cameron Woodhead, The Sydney Morning Herald
