Very emotional and moving book set in stunning Kerry .It is a very poignant story about Michael's parents helping so many troubled and suicidal people that have literally turned up with various tragic stories over the years ,and them helping to stop them from doing something irreversible.

This was a very raw and emotional read, I really did like it. It kinda reminded me of beachy head in Eastbourne. The characters were well written and felt real.

The story of Michéal Burns is a man whose childhood was irrevocably defined by the complex relationship he holds with his home, a bungalow perched next to the cliff face at Kerry Head. His life has been governed by ‘the visitors’ – a series of people who find themselves at the cliff top, when all hope has gone.
While Michéal managed to break free when he left the family for university, events occur to bring him back to the house – and the visitors. Will his family forgive him for the mistakes he’s made along the way as he struggled to live a normal life?

#ThoughTheBodiesFall is a polished piece of writing, with a quiet power and superb sense of place. The thematic undercurrents – guilt, loss, powerlessness, duty – are emotions common to all of us, and as the author lays the breadcrumbs for us to follow, the novel succeeds in bringing to light our own personal ruminations on these subjects. It’s an atmospheric novel, beautifully written and constructed, which does a fine job in communicating sensitive subject matters.

For me, I did struggle to connect on a personal and emotional level with the characters in the novel and their personal journeys and issues. Having seen other reviewers rave about this book, perhaps this just isn’t one made for me, rather than any failing on the novel’s behalf. I found Michéal’s marriage issues perhaps too lightly touched upon, leaving me unconvinced by the resulting events.

If you love Sally Rooney, this author is definitely one to watch; it’s a very strong debut by a writer with a hauntingly evocative voice and undeniable skill.

Thanks to #netgalley for the advance copy!

Noel O'Regan's debut novel launches another strong Irish voice into contemporary fiction. Micheál Burns grows up in a bungalow on Kerry Head. The cliffs outside the doorstep provide a stunning view - but draw other people besides the ramblers - the suicidal, drawn to the craggy edge. His parents try and talk these lost souls down, and as Micheál grows up, he learns to help too. Now an adult, his siblings want to sell, but Micheál is torn between helping those souls who have wandered here, and those that have lived here.

The story here is told in two alternating timeframes - Micheál's youth and adulthood - and the switching provides insight and connection. The writing is incredibly strong, heartfelt and wise. It is a modern novel - references to American sitcoms etc. ground the novel in its place. Then there is the thing that Irish writers do so well - the sense of that place. You can smell the soil, see the sea, feel the air. The characters are so well drawn by novels end you are sad to no longer be spending time in their company.

This is a very strong debut, which marks O'Regan out as a voice to watch. It is a novel that rests in the mind after the last page is turned. Great stuff.

Thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC.

This book just completely ruined me and is, without a doubt, going to be in my top 5 books of this year.

Micheal Burns lives in a beautiful house in Kerry Head in Ireland. However, as beautiful as the house and view are, they hide a darker history - their home has been a notorious suicide spot for a number of years. When he was young, Micheal's mother and father took it upon themselves to help these 'visitors', trying to talk them down and away from their impending actions.

As the eldest child, Micheal was then encouraged to help his mother and the impact of these actions run right through Micheal's whole life.

The story is told over two timelines with Micheal's story in the present day and also as a child growing up. The dual timeline works so effectively here as we see Micheal in the present day still trying to help the 'visitors' and the indescribable impact this has on his life and relationships. But we also see Micheal as a child, brought up and encouraged as a child to help these people along with his mother when his father passes away. The burden of this on such a young boy is unthinkable and the impact of it clearly lives on, yet he cannot tear himself away from it.

For me, the issues tackled here about our responsibilities to our fellow men and women, the burden that this places on us and at what point is the suffering of others not our responsibility. At what point do we need to prioritise our own well-being rather than that of others? Can we help others if we can't help ourselves?

Thanks to Netgalley and Granta Publications for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Trigger Warning: Suicide, Miscarriage, Domestic Abuse(adjacent).

Great storytelling can often come at the abandonment of reality. Our grey world becomes black and white in order to make a narrative easier to follow or engage with. The binary of past and present usually ignores lived experiences and trauma.

Though the Bodies Fell explores the idea of cyclical trauma, familial tragedy, guilt and misplaced altruism in a very tangible way.

Noel O’Regan deftly portrays our lead as both a passive and active character. A very real anchor, grounding others to the world but also a ghost on pause just suffering life as it happens to him.

I personally loved the style of storytelling on show here and the very real picture of the effects of showing up for others without taking care of yourself. I wish this book had been around a few years ago!

Thank you Granta for the ARC.

Micheál’s grandparents had no idea it was a suicide black spot when they bought the bungalow at the furthest end of Kerry Head. His parents moved in when his grandmother could no longer look after herself, taking on the burden of saving potential suicides whenever they could. When his father dies, his mother enlists twelve-year-old Micheál’s help, a responsibility that will cost him dear. After four brief years away, Micheál returned to the headland with his wife. Now forty-two, he lives alone, constantly on alert for signs that a ‘visitor’ has arrived who needs talking down. It’s his mission to save them, but his sister is equally determined that it’s time to sell the bungalow.

Micheál’s story unfolds in flashbacks alternating with the present, revealing a life which has been blighted by his mother‘s determination to save as many ‘visitors’ as she could. The effects on her family are profound: Micheál never escapes the burden placed upon him so young which is only increased when he realises the damage his departure did to his sisters, both furious with their mother, each dealing with that in their own way. It’s a challenging theme but, as is so often the case with Irish authors, it was the quality of Noel O’Regan’s writing that struck me most. The sense of place is extraordinarily strong, anchored with vivid word pictures that summon up the bungalow’s bleakly beautiful surroundings and the many storms that batter them. An impressive, powerful debut that will stay with me for some time.