Wonderful narration, the full cast made the experience all the more immersive.

Thrilling story that kept me thinking. Gripping and unpredictable.

Proper good 5 stars, Kala is a novel by Colin Walsh, a former lawyer who turned into a writer. The novel is a crime suspense thriller that follows three old friends who are reunited in their hometown on the Irish west coast as chilling secrets from their past start to unravel. The novel revolves around the disappearance of a teenage girl named Kala Lanann, who was the charismatic leader of their group in the summer of 2003.

I didn't enjoy Kala, although I really thought and hoped I would. The Irish setting (my birthplace, so always appealing), the period described, the publisher's description of the novel and the comparisons to Donna Tartt and Tana French all made me feel this was one I'd love.

I didn't. I found it tedious and had to force myself to return to it... I was intrigued enough to want to know how it ended, but struggled to get there.

The author hits you over the head again and again to convey that Kala was a charismatic, enigmatic figure who the other characters were rather obsessed with, for one reason or another, but it's hard to see why. I kept gettting bored to the point where the characters all bled into each other and I could barely tell them apart. I stuck with it but without much enjoyment.

The pace picks up towards the end but it was like waiting for a kettle to boil: it's not particularly exciting and seems to take a lot longer than it actually does. But I'm a grumpy old woman: Kala might appeal more to younger readers.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for providing an ARC. All my reviews are 100% honest no matter how I acquire the book.

This book was gripping from the get go. The setting was perfect and the characters were so well fleshed out and developed. There was plenty of build up and twists and turns with some really dark moments. I particularly loved Helen and Kalas characters. The depiction of problem teenagers is eerily accurate and you could really feel the angst in those younger moments and I found it very nostalgic. It takes a talented writer to create a book like this and I’m excited to read their other works.

Absolutely captivating. Slow-paced at first, the narrative picks up as the suspense does. Wonderfully narrated and one of the best examples of multiple narrators I've seen in a while. A beautiful portraits of remote Ireland and a fantastic example of life in a tourist town. If adapted well, would make a fantastic film or limited series, capturing the intricacies of the characters' emotional landscapes.

An absolutely fantastic book and the audiobook was amazing! It has a range of narrators which really help with making stories with multiple POVs come to life. It is such a beautifully written crime thriller, the characters are utterly believable and so realistic, the story is gripping and so intricate, and this was an overall fantastic book. The story is told from the perspective of four friends (now grown up and no longer in touch) who all visit their home town years after their friend Kala disappeared, and whilst they are home, Kala's body is found. The story alternates between the perspectives of the friends, and their chapters are told in various tenses and POVs including first and second POV which I really enjoyed! 4.75/5.

Thanks so much to NetGalley for the audiobook version in exchange for an honest review.

A solid 3 out 5 for me on this one - the positives were the characterisation, the first party chapters of Mush in particular, the prose, the audiobook narration, and the village of Kinlough almost feeling like a character in it's own right.

However sadly I thought it took far too long to get to the mystery element, and the ending was signposted a mile off.

Overall a decent read.

I struggled initially to get into this story. I think that was down to me; I’d finished a couple of very different books and the pace and style of this story was wildly different. I put it to one side for a while and when I approached it again, I was engrossed. It’s difficult to believe this is a debut work. The quality of the writing is superb and Colin Walsh has nailed the personal iIf three very different individuals whose lives have followed different courses.

It’s a complex tale with mystery at the heart and it moves back and forth between individuals and time. The narration throughout is outstanding and I was totally immersed in a spellbinding story which is filled with intrigue from the outset. This is very different from the nooks I usually chose and I’m so glad I took a chance to try a chance. Wonderful writing by a talented author and I’d certainly look for more.

3.5 stars

So this is not actually about Kala.

Although it is a good story, it’s sadly very slow and much too long. It also feels as though the author had lots of ideas, but couldn’t decide which were the focus. There is everything and the kitchen sink in this book, making it difficult to pull out key themes.

In some ways it reads like a Guy Ritchie film - the amount of swearing and glorified violence is about the same - where gangs control everything and the police are corrupt.

At its start, this book plods along like a simple crime novel with hints of teenage friendships: slow but vaguely interesting. Then it descends into a mosh pit of threads crisscrossing every which way, making it confusing.

The kids are selfish and shallow and their adult versions even more so. This is a shame, as there is potential for friendship and truth to improve the story, but the author glosses over this in favour of dog fights, brutal beatings and horrific torture (of humans and animals). The author handles this well and the descriptions are horrific, but credible.

However, more emotional turmoil would have helped me to empathise with the characters; as it was I didn’t care about any of them. Presumably this is to cast suspicion on everyone, but it feels like an oversight.

The audio has two narrators for the three POVs, but they read the story so slowly that any intended pace is lost - even sped up, Kala feels like a slow burn story which doesn’t work with the genre of the book.

The ending feels out of place, unsatisfactory and a little bizarre, considering everything and sadly, this lets down the book.

I listened to this frankly stunning novel on audiobook via NetGalley. I think that this will be a book that people will want to read in one sitting - I couldn’t put it down (which makes work really inconvenient!).

Three friends reunite after many years. Mush has stayed in Kinlough, Joe has become a famous singer, and Helen has been working as a journalist in Canada. As teenagers, they hung around in a group of six, until one of its most popular members (Kala) goes missing. It seems that her disappearance has had a huge effect on all of her friends since then. Helen comes home for a wedding and during this time, remains are found in a hold-all. And they’re Kala.

Mush helps his mother run a coffee shop and is, I think, the most likeable character. He wants to pick up friendships where they were left off after Joe and Helen had left. I can’t help but think that Helen uses this as a way to get him to help her look into the disappearance of Kala.

This isn’t just about Kala though. It’s a book that looks at all of these characters and their lives. They all have issues of one kind or another, whether these issues are caused by Kala’s disappearance, their family lives or something more - the town itself has a violent undercurrent.

It’s beautifully written: the snatches of scenes from childhood are idyllic, the interactions of the characters range from funny to sad to menacing. Do these characters really know one another, and who can they trust? There are a lot of lies to uncover!

I will be very keen to read whatever Colin Walsh writes next - he’s definitely one to watch!

Estranged for twenty years, Joe, Helen and Mush find themselves reunited. Inseparable as teenagers, it was Kala that held the group together. But one summer, in 2003, Kala disappeared. Now the friends have returned, remains have been found in the woods, reopening old wounds.

This was a really exciting book. It does really well to flesh out the characters to the point where they feel real. I particularly liked the back n forth timeline because I think it really kept the story engaging by combining present moments with the past, revealing things as they were happening. The events were exciting too, subverting expectations of what we think will happen.

The narrators were fantastic. They really animated the story and gave it so much nuance and character that it felt almost like listening to a stage play. Such a fantastic narration that I couldn’t recommend more

I enjoyed this story of friends haunted by the disappearance of one of their group 30 years previously. It did have a slow star, but as the story progressed so did the pace, really picking up in the last third. As I got into the story I found it more compelling and by the last third I found it hard to stop listening as i really wanted to know what had happened all those years ago. I loved the narration, the three voices worked really well in the audiobook, the accents, pitch and tones working far better than I think I could have imagined. The characters were all well done, as was the plot overall. I admit I found the resolution mixed, it worked but I would have liked more 'clues' within the story. Overall I enjoyed this and will probably look out for more by this author.

Colin Walsh's debut novel is a powerful and evocative Irish literary mystery that may take a little time to become immersed in, but once you do it will hold your attention right through to the end. I listened to this on audio too, a wonderfully engaging listen narrated by Frank Blake, Moe Dunford, and Seana Kerslake, approximately 13 hours long. Beautifully written, it is set on the west Irish coastal town of Kinlough, where 20 years ago, a group of tightly knit teenagers, Kala, Joe, Aoife, Helen, Mush, and Aiden were having the time of their lives. The heart of the group, 15 year old Kala Lannan disappears, and unsurprisingly relationships fragment between them, their lives to be haunted by this past and the repercussions that follow. In a narrative that shifts from the past to the present, a far from happy Helen is now a financially struggling freelance journalist living in Canada who returns to Kinlough for a family wedding.

Joe Brennan had been Kala's boyfriend, he is now a well known rockstar with issues, returning for a musical residency. Mush, with his disfigured face, never left town, spending his time at the cafe, people watching whilst trying to keep a low profile himself. The past becomes inescapable when Kala's skull and a photograph are discovered at a building site, raising the question of what happened to her. Matters are lent an increasing urgency and tension when Mush's twin teenage cousins disappear. There are rich descriptions that paint a picture of the oppressive small town atmosphere, and the terrifying horrors and secrets that lie beneath the surface. There is intrigue, danger and brutal violence as the curtain lifts to reveal the unvarnished truth.

Walsh excels in the creation, qualities and development of his characters, skilfully giving us glimpses into the nature of their relationships, the emotional intensity, and friendships. The exquisite prose had me lingering on a number of occasions over the beauty of the language, although patience is required before links begin to emerge that help to make sense of the mysteries and what precisely is happening, although not all things have an answer. It makes us question whether it is ever really possible to know someone. There is a remarkable assurance and deftness of touch in this coming of age storytelling that has me awaiting the author's next book with eager anticipation. Highly recommended. I can recommend the terrific audio too. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC and WF Howes for an ALC.

This is a beautiful sad story told in a stunning way and this is one hell of a debut novel. I would highly recommend this book and interested to see what Colin Walsh writes next!

I have gone into this anticipating something deliciously dark and mysterious. This was mysterious enough but so much of a slow burner it just fizzled out about 60% in and did not hold my interest anymore.
It was very well written and did a good job in giving you a sense in Kinlough. I enjoyed getting different characters' perspective but didn't really get invested in any of them. The structuring of Kala character was nice, but the overall endind was so anticlimactic - the majority of the book just felt like padding.
I can't believe this was marketed for the fans of Donna Tartt - I feel slightly cheated I bought into it!

Another example of Irish zlotersry gold. There is a real sense of an Irish aloterary boom at present, and this book joins these current masterpieces. Centred around the tourist village of Kinlough in County Leitrim sandwiched between Dartry Mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, we meet six teenage friends: Aoife; Kala; Helen; Joe; Aiden and Mush, as they navigate that step learning curve between childhood and adulthood in a rural town, exploring the village, trying alcohol, enjoying parties, embarking on first lo e and forging friendhips. Then Kala goes missing and the group fracture. Years later, three of them find themselves back together in Kinlough, and old memories and guilt resurface at the same time as Kala's bones are uncovered on a building site. The plot moves back and forth in time, delving into everyone's secrets to finally resolve the mystery. A skillfully woven story with deeply unsettling and thrilling scenes. The story begins slowly, but by mid way it is adrenaline fuelled. A great audiobook listen, witht the added bonus of an Irish accent bringing the Irish dialect to life. #kala #colinwalsh #netgalley

Kala by Colin Walsh* is a superbly written story and the narration of the audiobook breathes so much life into the words. It’s 2003 and in a fictional Irish town, six teenagers are, unbeknownst to themselves, experiencing a peak of life that only adolescence can bring; ever-growing freedom, limited responsibility and the type of platonic love for eachother that is so big, so powerful, so true, that it feels like nothing can ever come between them. And then Kala goes missing, never to be seen or heard from again, and the group - distraught, confused, scared - splinters.

Now it is 20 years later and Mush, Joe and Helen find themselves back where it all began and, with two other girls now missing, they are each forced to reckon with the impact Kala’s disappearance had on their lives, as well as the darkness around the fringes of the town that, as teens, they were oblivious to.

The story is told from each of their perspectives, both recalling the time when Kala disappeared and the events of today and how the two seem to be undeniably linked. This multilayered narrative approach, along with such vivid prose and rich characterisation, succeeds in moving the past story along in tandem with the present and is executed so sharply that you easily forget this is a debut. As much as I loved the mystery of it all, I was drawn in by the nostalgia of the book, of being a teenager myself in 2003 and feeling unstoppable, and I think a lot of people who spent their youth hanging around fields and getting up to mischief will see a lot of themselves in Helen, Kala, Aoife, Mush, Joe and Aiden.

Thank you to NetGalley and W F Howes for allowing me to listen to this audiobook.

Rating: 4.5 stars.

Let me start by saying - I cannot believe this is author Colin Walsh’s debut novel; Kala is so well written and lyrically beautiful. The strongest aspect of this book is the writing - it blew me away. It is full of humour; I found myself laughing out loud so many times and this is ultimately what won my heart.

The book is set in Ireland in 2003; a group of six friends set to enjoy the summer but suddenly one of their friends, Kala, disappears. Fast forward 15 years later and the friends reunite and human remains are found; the mystery of Kala’s disappearance starts to unfold.

The story is set over two timelines; those of 2003 - life with Kala, who is the heart of the friendship group and their daily escapades. Then the present day and the events that unfold with the discovery. The reason why this book didn’t get the full 5 stars is because sometimes the timelines got a little mixed and it wasn’t always easy to follow via audiobook. Maybe reading the book would have made this clearer.

The story of the town, the town’s people and how they failed Kala when she disappeared.

One standout from this book was how Kala’s disappearance affected her friends and family - some of these left a small lump in my throat. They felt so real. This also translates to the interactions and dialogue of the characters - it feels so real and authentic.

I’m very excited that Colin Walsh is on my radar. Such a phenomenal debut - this one is going to stay with me.

A huge congrats to Colin Walsh for being shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize ♥️

Ohhhh Kala.

Literary thriller is a strange genre as it’s almost an oxymoron. Literary fiction is often slow and character driven but a successful thriller has to be quick paced and full of plot.

So. Kala tries to be two things at once: a gritty small town crime thriller, and a lyrical character study. It does one of those better than the other. While the mystery of Kala’s disappearance in the past is the hook of the book, and drives the story, it felt like an afterthought. The focus instead is very much on where our characters are now. I really liked this aspect, loved these characters, loved the slow burn introduction to them, but it didn’t take long for me to become entirely uninterested in the central mystery. The literary/thriller balance never quite felt right off for me.

For strictly litfic readers, there’s much to enjoy in the plot as well as absolutely cracking writing, seamless dialect, and deliciously complex characterisation. I suspect avid crime/thriller readers, however, will note a disappointing mystery and a lack of suspense. Comparisons to Tana French are fair, but Walsh does something really special with words, and infuses life into his characters. He’s plainly an excellent writer and I look forward to what he does next. Think I could love a book from him in another genre.

I listened to the audiobook alongside reading my physical copy which I received to read for the WDFP shortlist. The audiobook was wonderful. Three district, great performances that all added so much to the story for me. This is one of those instances where I’d happily recommend the audio over the physical book. Love reading Irish fiction while hearing the accent and dialect. Is lovely and immersive.

A huge thank you to WF Howes, Atlantic Books, Netgalley, and Waterstones. Kala is out now! #PRproduct ♥️

An Irish literary mystery was always going to spark my interest and this one didn't disappoint. This was a gripping dark read that was intensely readable.
This book is set in Kinlough, Co Leitrim, a small town on Irelands west coast. Three old friends are meeting for the first time in years. They were originally a group of six . In 2003 they were inseparable as teenagers spending all their free time together grappling with growing up, family strife, falling in love and the darker elements of their small town. Kala was the spark in the center of their group and later in 2003 she disappeared without a trace.
Now as the three old friends, Helen, Mush and Joe reunite in Kinlough and the mystery of their missing friend finally seems it may be resolved when there is a discovery of remains found in the woods nearby. The remains include a skull with a polaroid inside and shortly afterwards two more young girls go missing. The town is holding its dark secrets close and finally they must be brought into the open.

I found this a really engaging, dark and difficult at times read but I absolutely raced through it. It is very hard to put this book down once it grabs you. Colin Walsh has previously won awards for his short stories but this is his debut novel and its a really accomplished debut. I loved the language in this one and how distinctly Irish it is. The prose dances and pounds on the page and the characters and place are drawn vividly. The atmosphere of the book reminded me of some of Martin McDonagh films and some similar vibes to Patrick McCabe's The Butcher Boy.
There are many dark scenes some veered into slightly too violent for me but its balanced with lighter elements mostly through the dialogue and how authentic the characters are. The dual timeline, distinct different narratives and the twists and turns make this story of secrets, memory, mystery and friendship a memorable one.
4 star.

The audio of this was absolutely superb. Loved the different narrators and their delivery of the excellent dialogue. 5 star and hugely recommend.