The Breakers

'the recursive prose is subtly hypnotic, mimicking the obsessive circularity of mourning and the tendency of insight to be always belated ... the effect is oddly intriguing' Chris Ross, Guardian.

'The unravelling of the mystery at its core is compelling and convincing' Alannah Hopkin, Irish Examiner.

'This is a novel strung together from sentences as spare as its geographical background, and a deft translation carries evocative echoes of the French original' Hephzibah Anderson, Daily Mail.

'This is so atmospheric it transports you straight to the storm-lashed fishing village full of strange characters with old gripes still looming over their relations ... it seethes with loss, intrigue and secrets' U Magazine.

'The pace and feel of this French bestseller is as measured and elegiac as its setting, its prose strikingly spare' Telegraph.

'By drawing on the everyday, the small rituals, the uneasy exchanges, Gallay has written a slow-moving, calm, complicated and compelling novel that balances stagnation and panic, acceptance and denial, all juxtaposed with the way the past insists on shaping the present' Eileen Battersby, Irish Times.

'A gem of a book! 400 pages which crack like a whip, slap you in the face and ultimately explode, leaving you stunned and blissful' François Busnel, L'Express.