Hagstone, by Sinead Gleeson (4th Estate 2024)

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Neil

Hagstone tells the story of Nell, an artist living on an unnamed remote island off the coast of Ireland. She finds the isolation a powerful source of inspiration for her conceptual art. She is commissioned by the head of a mysterious commune of women who have gathered on the island, to create a commemorative work. It's a passionate, somewhat gothic novel, surprising and original, mesmerising and a little supernatural. It's very, very good.