Hearts and Bones

I flew through this book of short stories, as I found them intriguing and engaging with a simple but evocative prose that created some truly beautiful moments. I couldn’t put it down!

The book consists of 11 short stories, taking place mostly between Ireland and London, with a brief sojourn in provincial Southern France. They are all about the intricacies of relationships, with others and ourselves, and are told by narrators that vary in age, gender and social background.

The thing that links them all though, is Mulvey’s reflections on the fragility of reality and truth. The characters all feel disconnected in some way from what they deem reality, and there is a performativity in the way that they love, grieve, and even fear for their loved ones. 10 year old Julia in ‘Childcare’ feels that she ‘has no centre’ and ‘is not a real girl;’ Dar in ‘The Doll’ needs to feel real objects when he feels himself retreating into his own head; the narrator of ‘My First Marina’ struggles to separate the performative aspects of her grief from her reality of it. The stories also touch upon the impossibility of truly knowing someone, or the truth of how they perceive you.

All of these moments are shrewdly observed by Mulvey, in clever, captivating tales of humans and their emotional complexities. I can’t wait to read more of her work.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Pan McMillan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Hearts and Bones by Niamh Mulvey

Hearts and Bones is a short story collection featuring ten stories on friendship, families and love. Set between Ireland, London and the South of France.

I flew through this book of short stories. I read the whole book in one day and 85% of that was just when I was commuting, so it’s definitely a fast read. Pretty much all the stories held my interest and I liked how they looked at people’s emotional complexities and how people observe and think about you.

This is one of the strongest short story collections I have read. There were no stories I didn’t like. My favourite stories were Mother’s Day; a story about a mother and daughter meeting after they haven’t seen each other in 5 years, The First Marina; a story about a teenage girl dealing with grief after losing her friend, Feathers; about a woman going to Paris to see her long distance boyfriend and the friendship she sparks with his cleaner and The Doll; a short story with multiple perspectives which has a focus on mental health.

Heart and Bones was a smart and observant debut collection. I will be looking forward to picking up what Niamh Mulvey writes next. I’d definitely recommend you pick it up if you’re a short story lover.

I’m a huge short story fan and this is a wonderful collection - a diverse range of stories told across mostly Ireland and London and some very unusual topics covered. I particularly loved the multiple chapter story The Doll and the number of different characters’ perspectives that were shared on the same broad topic. Highly recommended and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Niamh Mulvey's collection of short stories was truly a fantasic read. A diverse range of stories told from Ireland and London - covering a wide range of topics from age, race and relationships.

I'll certainly be purchasing a physical copy once they are avalible.

I'm a sucker for a short story collection, particularly one written by an Irish woman. I'm not sure what it is about female Irish writers, but I connect with their writing style and the content of their work so deeply, and Hearts & Bones by Niamh Mulvey is no different.

'Love songs for late youth' is the perfect way to describe this collection. Each story details some of the agonisingly embarrassing moments that happen in the late stages of your youth. When you don't know quite who you are but you so desperately wish you did. When you think you're invincible yet equally confused and scared and lonely. I really enjoyed Mulvey's exploration of this time period.

The writing style was wonderful and while the stories are (obviously) short, I didn't feel that anything was missing. Mulvey manages to make each story completely immersive and enthralling. I was hooked, especially by the final story for which the collection is named after, Hearts & Bones. It was in this story that Mulvey's writing particularly shines.

Though these are short stories, each is rich with character and narrative. Mulvey depicts - then proceeds to dissect - all kinds of love (maternal, lustful, romantic, religious) through a wide array of narrators with varying ages and backgrounds.
My favourite was the ‘The Doll’ - it was such a unique story unlike anything I’ve read before and I loved the shifts in perspective throughout. ‘Feathers’ and ‘Hearts and Bones’ also stood out a lot for me. Though some shined brighter than others, no story in this collection fell short. Mulvey writes with vivid observation on humankind and its complex emotions, whilst her prose is organic and seductive. Hearts and Bones has taken a firm place within my favourite short story collections and I cannot wait to see what Niamh Mulvey does next.

This is a really lean, masterfully strange series of short stories, told with a specific sense of time and place, exploring characters that instantly become familiar and compelling. It's such a hard thing to do as a writer but Niamh does this, with skill and compassion. An incredibly accomplished debut. Can't wait to read what she does next.

I love reading short stories so this was a collection I was really looking forward to. Based between Ireland and London, they feature protagonists that range in age, gender and circumstance. If not outright sad, each of the stories is touched with sadness, you can feel it seeping in.

My favourite was the titular story, 'Heart and Bones', which closed out the collection beautifully. I can't wait to see what Niamh Mulvey writes next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Picador for the opportunity to review this book!

Really take the 'love songs for late youth' subheading to heart. These stories are lyrical glimpses at young love, akin to music in that they flit by but leave a resounding emotion within you. A lovely collection, and a fab debut.

I love a short story collection, especially from an author previously unknown to me. There are 11 stories in this collection and I genuinely enjoyed them all. My favourite and most memorable were 'Mother's Day' - this was a powerful, moving and relatable story about the relationship between a mother and her grown daughter whose lives have gone in very different directions. And 'Feathers' which took an unexpected turn!

I highly recommend this collection and cannot wait to read more from Niamh Mulvey.

Hearts and Bones: Love Songs for Late Youth is a beautiful collection of short stories that portray the insecurities as well as the sometimes naive self assurance of young people, trying to love and be loved. It moves through themes of motherhood (reflections on motherhood in its many guises appear throughout the stories), grief, mental health, estrangement, class and expectation, the prose often ‘dear diary’ like in cadence and in authenticity. Among my favourite stories were Mother’s Day, Feathers and Good For You, Cecilia. The collection is thought-provoking, moving and left me wanting more.

Thanks to Macmillian for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.