Helen Cullen

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The most uplifting and charming debut of the year

The Lost Letters of William Woolf

The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually

Penguin Shop: 3 Clothbound Classics for £33

A beautiful bittersweet story of love, loss and families all set in the most irresistible of locations. Tears were shed!

A moving and powerful novel from one of Ireland's finest new writers

Such a true gift of a novel, with its sumptuous forward momentum, and rare precision, and inspired imagery. The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually generates a very bright light, one that is human, graceful, and healing. It's an absolute pleasure to read

Just loved it . . . so moving on motherhood, depression, family ties and Ireland

A beautiful story. I was gripped and held in a state of love for all the characters

Sarah Winman, Sunday Times bestselling author of Tin Man

I devoured this, falling in love with the setting and with every character - and when I reached the end, I wept. It is just glorious. A sweeping family safe and, at the same time, a close-up on the everyday beautiful details that make up love

Emma Flint, author of Little Deaths

We are seduced by the story of the star-crossed lovers

Cullen's quietly devastating second novel is both a family saga and a careful exploration of the reality of living with mental health issues

A beautiful meditation on family life in Ireland

An extremely moving read. Handles the complexities of love, grief, family life and mental illness with sensitivity and depth. A truly gorgeous novel.

Ali Land, author of Good Me, Bad Me

Intensely moving, beautifully written and drenched with Irish atmosphere, this novel asks brave and thoughtful questions about mental health

I really enjoyed Helen Cullen's confident voice and lyrical descriptions and was relieved by the optimistic and redemptive ending as I had become so invested in the characters. I'll look out for more from this author

Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

So wonderful on the Irish family and the utter complexity of motherhood, family entanglement and love

Elaine Feeney, poet and author of As You Were

An honest meditation on love and motherhood - this is a story of the confessions that aren't easily made; the secret hopes and desires that can feel too complicated or painful to express. Cullen is a thoughtful writer and she dissects the stubborn optimism of the human heart with skill and sympathy

A compassionate portrayal of love, support and grief, The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually contains moments so recognisable to anyone who has suffered from depression that credit must be given to Cullen for depicting mental illness in all its senseless brutality while never exploiting it for sentimental reasons... There are many strengths to this novel, not least of which is the author's decision not to fill the pages with anguish . . . a writer whose skill is matched by an ability to surprise with each new work

Precise, haunting and, above all, beautiful . . . has the twin ability to inspire you to take delight in the world, yet also cry with the pain that unfolds in its pages . . . a book of rare quality

I loved this book so much . . . Gorgeous

A powerful and poignant narrative told over a lifetime; exploring unconditional love, heartbreak and the beautiful flaws of human nature set within a family unit. (Cullen) is an astute and empathic writer and an incredible voice in Irish literature. You'll fall in love with the Moone family and they will linger in your heart long after you read the final pages

Cat Hogan, author of They All Fall Down and There Was A Crooked Man

Beautifully-observed [...] charts a family across 37 years, living through a tragedy on a remote island; portraying mental health and the fall-out around it with enormous humanity and integrity. Tonally reminiscent of recent Colm Tóibín

Caoilinn Hughes, author of Orchid and The Wasp

A beautiful novel - Helen Cullen writes with such deft care and attention about the things that hold us together when everything falls apart

Rónán Hession, author of Leonard and Hungry Paul

Such a tender read. Astute and compassionate, it made me cry. It's full of love. And it's quietly magnificent

Tor Udall, author of A Thousand Paper Birds

A perfect combination of deeply-felt tragedy with great hopefulness

Anne Youngson, author of Meet Me at the Museum

Joy Rhoades, author of The Woolgrower’s Companion

A superb second novel that goes to places you mightn't expect but which ultimately end up making a great deal of sense. It touches on a lot thematically and doesn't ever suggest that any one life path can be a cure for severe mental illness and it does some things that... are very pleasing indeed. I had a LOT OF FEELINGS

Claire Hennessy, author and editor of Banshee Journal

A beautifully observed saga of abandoned dreams, loss and self-discovery

Absolute poetry and a love letter to family and to the arts. The depiction of depression is as accurate as any I've read and the empathy in this book is beautiful

Maggie Smith, award-winning author of Good Bones and Keep Moving

Powerful, intimate, moving - a beautiful exploration of love and family

Cullen's atmospheric novel captures beautifully the continuity of life even at times of deepest grief. If we avoid tragedy in literature, we're closing ourselves off to some of the most powerful and moving writing, as exemplified by Helen Cullen's second novel which deals delicately and humanely with the subjects of mental health and the ravaging effects of grief

An Irish novel moves from a family's joy to tragedy and back in this poignant yet hopeful novel spanning the late 1970s to 2015

Cullen's lyrical prose drives the immersive and heart-wrenching narrative. This complex study of depression and its impact on family dynamics will lure readers

Love is here in spades... clear a weekend for this gorgeous read

If you liked Harold Fry and Me Before You, you will love Cullen's nostalgic debut. This life-affirming book will draw you in and keep you there

I found myself totally transported into William's poignant and beguiling world of lost opportunities and love

A. J. Pearce, author of Sunday Times bestseller Dear Mrs Bird

Cullen's writing is precise, haunting and, above all, beautiful . . . has the twin ability to inspire you to take delight in the world, yet also cry with the pain that unfolds in its pages

Deals delicately and humanely with the subjects of mental health and the ravaging effects of grief . . . ultimately a hopeful read that lives long in the memory

Cullen's quietly devastating novel is both a family saga and a careful exploration of the realities of living with mental health issues

A thoroughly moving and frequently funny story of love and compassion

A tender and unflinching exploration of mental illness and how it can eat into the heart of a family. Full of empathy and genuinely moving, a novel that will stay with me for a long time

Christine Dwyer Hickey, prizewinning author of The Narrow Land

'There's a crack in everything, it's how the light gets in' Leonard Cohen 
 
On an island off the west coast of Ireland, the Moone family are poised for celebration - but are instead shattered by tragedy. Murtagh Moone is a potter and devoted husband to Maeve, an actor struggling with her most challenging role yet as mother to their four children. Now Murtagh must hold his family close as we bear witness to their story before that night. 
 
We return to the day Maeve and Murtagh meet, outside Trinity College in Dublin, and watch how one love story gives rise to another. As the Moone children learn who their parents truly are, we journey onwards with them to a future that none of the Moones can predict. 
 
Except perhaps Maeve herself.

THE IMMERSIVE AND HEARTFELT EXPLORATION OF FAMILY AND LOVE 
 
 'A beautiful bittersweet story of love, loss and families. Tears were shed!' GRAHAM NORTON 
 'A moving and powerful novel' JOHN BOYNE 
 'Human, graceful and healing, a true gift of a novel' SEBASTIAN BARRY 
 'A beautiful story' SARAH WINMAN 
 'Lyrical, optimistic and redemptive' CLARE CHAMBERS 
'Just loved it . . . so moving on motherhood, depression, family ties and Ireland' ANNIE MACMANUS 
 __________ 
 
 On an island off the west coast of Ireland, the Moone family gathers. 
 
 Maeve is an actor, struggling with her most challenging role yet - as a mother to four children. Murtagh, her devoted husband, is a potter whose craft brought them from the city to this rural life. 
 
 In the wake of one fateful night, the Moone siblings must learn the story of who their parents truly are, and what has happened since their first meeting, years before, outside Trinity College in Dublin. 
 
 We watch as one love story gives rise to another, until we arrive at a future that none of the Moones could have predicted. 
 
 Except perhaps Maeve herself. 
 
 The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually is a celebration of the complex, flawed and stubbornly optimistic human heart. 
__________ 
 
 Longlisted for the Guardian's 'Not The Booker' prize 
 
 PRAISE FOR THE TRUTH MUST DAZZLE GRADUALLY: 
 
 'I devoured this, falling in love with the setting and with every character. It is just glorious. A close-up on the everyday beautiful details that make up love' Emma Flint, author of Little Deaths 
 
 'Intensely moving, beautifully written and drenched with Irish atmosphere, this novel asks brave and thoughtful questions about mental health' Daily Mail 
 
 'Loved it. Beautiful and original' Sunday Independent 
 
 'Cullen is a thoughtful writer and she dissects the stubborn optimism of the human heart with skill and sympathy' Irish Independent 
 
 'A perfect combination of deeply-felt tragedy with great hopefulness' Anne Youngson, author of Meet me at the Museum 
 
 'Masterfully constructed. A book of rare quality' i Paper 
 
 'A beautifully observed saga of abandoned dreams, loss and self-discovery. A fabulous creation' Alan McGonagle, author of Ithaca 
 
 'So wonderful on the Irish family and the utter complexity of motherhood, family entanglement and love. I was full on weeping at the end' Elaine Feeney, author of As You Were

Helen Cullen is an Irish writer living in London. She is the author of The Lost Letters of William Woolf which has been optioned for television. She was shortlisted for Newcomer of the Year at the Irish Book Awards. 
To learn more, please visit www.helencullen.ie

The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually

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A beautiful bittersweet story of love, loss and families all set in the most irresistible of locations. Tears were shed!

A moving and powerful novel from one of Ireland's finest new writers

Such a true gift of a novel, with its sumptuous forward momentum, and rare precision, and inspired imagery. The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually generates a very bright light, one that is human, graceful, and healing. It's an absolute pleasure to read

Just loved it . . . so moving on motherhood, depression, family ties and Ireland

A beautiful story. I was gripped and held in a state of love for all the characters

I devoured this, falling in love with the setting and with every character - and when I reached the end, I wept. It is just glorious. A sweeping family safe and, at the same time, a close-up on the everyday beautiful details that make up love

We are seduced by the story of the star-crossed lovers

Cullen's quietly devastating second novel is both a family saga and a careful exploration of the reality of living with mental health issues

A beautiful meditation on family life in Ireland

An extremely moving read. Handles the complexities of love, grief, family life and mental illness with sensitivity and depth. A truly gorgeous novel.

About Helen Cullen

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