Editions

Beneath the Earth

  • Imprint: Black Swan

  • ISBN: 9781784160999

  • Length: 272  Pages

  • Dimensions: 198mm x 17mm x 127mm

  • Weight: 195g

  • RRP: £8.99

Beneath the Earth

In this collection of twelve dark, unerring and surprising short stories, John Boyne explores the extremities of the human condition in all its brilliance and brutality. The secrets we keep and the ways in which they shape us, the impossibility of shared loss, the lengths we will go to in order to protect our families and the distance we will run to protect ourselves.


Drawing on a host of enthralling characters – a farmer, a cuckold and a teenager exploring his sexuality; good parents, bad parents, writers and soldiers; a student, a rent boy and a hitman – Boyne examines the hopeful and the damaged without prejudice or judgement.


This, his first collection of short stories, is some of John Boyne’s finest writing to date. It includes ‘Rest Day’ which won the 2015 Writing.ie Short Story of the Year award in Ireland.

  • Imprint: Black Swan

  • ISBN: 9781784160999

  • Length: 272  Pages

  • Dimensions: 198mm x 17mm x 127mm

  • Weight: 195g

  • RRP: £8.99

Reviews

  • The best of the best . . . These revealing stories, unfolding like intimate confessions, will twist your heart.

    Daily Mail

  • Boyne offers writing of insight and beauty that elevates this collection to impressive heights indeed, and confirms him as one of Ireland's finest contemporary writers

    Observer

  • Boyne has achieved a careful authenticity . . . Beneath the Earth is a satisfying and polished set of short stories with definite longevity and immense global appeal.

    Irish Independent

  • [Beneath the Earth] tracks the light and dark of Ireland’s past and present . . . Boyne is particularly strong on dramatising child and teen sensibilities but here we see how the badness of adults spills over and infects these damaged children.

    Independent

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About the Author

John Boyne

John Boyne was born in Ireland in 1971. He is the author of eleven novels for adults, six for younger readers and a collection of short stories. Perhaps best known for his 2006 multi-award-winning book The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, John’s other novels, notably The Absolutist and A History of Loneliness, have been widely praised and are international bestsellers. Most recently, The Heart's Invisible Furies was a Richard & Judy Bookclub word-of-mouth bestseller, and A Ladder to the Sky was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year Award in association with Listowel Writers’ Week. His novels are published in over fifty languages.

John Boyne

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Recommendations

4 Irish books we can’t wait to read this Spring

From John Boyne to Jan Carson, here are four books the Penguin Ireland team can’t wait to start reading this Spring.
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Extracts

What if your favourite writer was a total sociopath? John Boyne delves into A Ladder to the Sky

John Boyne’s A Ladder to the Sky tells a timely tale of the lies, ambition and manipulation of a ruthless writer with great talent but no imagination. Maurice Swift, a would-be author who befriends an older novelist to further his career is the main character. Here, John Boyne introduces an extract by explaining his motivation.
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Features

The Making of the A Ladder to the Sky audiobook

Have you ever fancied a sneak peek behind the mic of your favourite audiobook? Step in to studio with author John Boyne as he chats with the cast of his book, A Ladder to the Sky.

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