Few and Far Between

Warm, sharp and gloriously funny, Jan Carson writes exuberant prose about difficult people in interesting times * Sarah Moss, author of Ripeness *A stunningly original novel told with warmth and humour. The story of an island sanctuary, it celebrates all the joys and challenges of living in a community, and should further cement Carson’s reputation as one of the most imaginative and talented Irish writers at work today. * Roisín O’Donnell, author of Nesting *Jan Carson’s understanding of, and love for, complicated human people is unmatched in contemporary literature. In Few and Far Between she turns that canny eye to the long effects of, and attempts to recover from, The Troubles, and what results is her best book yet. * Heather Parry, author of Carrion Crow *A joy to read… No writer captures the absurdity and beauty of life quite like [Jan Carson] does, and with this novel she has created something especially prescient, a fictional microcosm that speaks so powerfully about the troubled state of the planet, and of society. I revelled in her attention to detail, to the unexpected, to glorious oddity. * Sara Baume, author of Spill Simmer Falter Wither *Few and Far Between is Jan Carson’s most ambitious novel yet – bold in its counter-factual conception, confident in its scope, yet intimate in the knowledge of its characters, all of whom are accorded dignity and a quiet humanity. It’s also very, very funny. * Lucy Caldwell, author of These Days *No one writes like Jan Carson. Surreal times call for surreal stories, and Few and Far Between packages history, horror and redemption in her signature combination of humour and grace. * Sheila Armstrong, author of Falling Animals *Few and Far Between, is Jan Carson at her very best, with her trademark wit, exceptional turn of phrase and keen eye for character… A beguilingly original work on family, community and connection, what holds us together, breaks us apart, and allows us to start again. Unmissable. * Olivia Fitzsimons, author of The Quiet Whispers Never Stop *Haunting and darkly funny. Jan Carson has the fearlessness and bounce of Anne Enright and Kate Atkinson, and a wide-ranging, endlessly surprising scope. Few and Far Between is moody and mysterious, a gothic like no other. * Flynn Berry, New York Times bestselling author of Northern Spy *

Jan Carson is a writer based in Belfast. She has published three novels, three short story collections, and two micro-fiction collections.

Her novel The Fire Starters won the EU Prize for Literature for Ireland in 2019. Jan’s latest novel, The Raptures, was published by Doubleday in early 2022 and was subsequently shortlisted for the An Post Irish Novel of the Year and Kerry Group Novel of the Year. Her short story collection Quickly, While They Still Have Horses was published by Doubleday (UK) in April 2024 and Scribner (US) in July 2024.

Her writing has been aired on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and RTÉ. She is the Seamus Heaney Centre Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast for 2025 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her first stage play, an adaptation of the children’s classic The Velveteen Rabbit, will be produced by Replay Theatre Company at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast in March 2025. Her next novel, Few and Far Between, is forthcoming in early 2026.

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