book cover of The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually
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The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually

(2020)
(The Dazzling Truth)
A novel by

 
 
AN IMMERSIVE AND HEARTFELT EXPLORATION OF FAMILY AND LOVE

'A beautiful bittersweet story of love, loss and families. Tears were shed!' GRAHAM NORTON
'A moving and powerful novel' JOHN BOYNE
'Human, graceful and healing, a true gift of a novel' SEBASTIAN BARRY
'A beautiful story' SARAH WINMAN
'Lyrical, optimistic and redemptive' CLARE CHAMBERS
__________

On an island off the west coast of Ireland, the Moone family gathers.

Maeve is an actor, struggling with her most challenging role yet - as a mother to four children. Murtagh, her devoted husband, is a potter whose craft brought them from the city to this rural life.

In the wake of one fateful night, the Moone siblings must learn the story of who their parents truly are, and what has happened since their first meeting, years before, outside Trinity College in Dublin.

We watch as one love story gives rise to another, until we arrive at a future that none of the Moones could have predicted.

Except perhaps Maeve herself.

The Truth Must Dazzle Gradually is a celebration of the complex, flawed and stubbornly optimistic human heart.

Longlisted for the Guardian's 'Not The Booker' prize!

PRAISE FOR THE TRUTH MUST DAZZLE GRADUALLY:

'I devoured this, falling in love with the setting and with every character. It is just glorious. A close-up on the everyday beautiful details that make up love' Emma Flint, author of Little Deaths

'Intensely moving, beautifully written and drenched with Irish atmosphere, this novel asks brave and thoughtful questions about mental health'
Daily Mail

'Loved it. Beautiful and original'
Sunday Independent

'Cullen is a thoughtful writer and she dissects the stubborn optimism of the human heart with skill and sympathy' Irish Independent

'A perfect combination of deeply-felt tragedy with great hopefulness'
Anne Youngson, author of Meet me at the Museum

'Masterfully constructed. A book of rare quality' i Paper

'A beautifully observed saga of abandoned dreams, loss and self-discovery. A fabulous creation'
Alan McGonagle, author of Ithaca

'So wonderful on the Irish family and the utter complexity of motherhood, family entanglement and love. I was full on weeping at the end'
Elaine Feeney, author of As You Were


Genre: Literary Fiction

Praise for this book

"So wonderful on the Irish family and the utter complexity of motherhood, family entanglement and love. I was full on weeping at the end." - Elaine Feeney

"I devoured this, falling in love with the setting and with every character. It is just glorious. A close-up on the everyday beautiful details that make up love." - Emma Flint

"A superb second novel that goes to places you mightn't expect but which ultimately end up making a great deal of sense. It touches on a lot thematically and doesn't ever suggest that any one life path can be a cure for severe mental illness and it does some things that... are very pleasing indeed. I had a LOT OF FEELINGS." - Claire Hennessy

"A beautiful novel - Helen Cullen writes with such deft care and attention about the things that hold us together when everything falls apart." - Rónán Hession

"A powerful and poignant narrative told over a lifetime; exploring unconditional love, heartbreak and the beautiful flaws of human nature set within a family unit. (Cullen) is an astute and empathic writer and an incredible voice in Irish literature. You'll fall in love with the Moone family and they will linger in your heart long after you read the final pages." - Cat Hogan

"Beautifully-observed [...] charts a family across 37 years, living through a tragedy on a remote island; portraying mental health and the fall-out around it with enormous humanity and integrity. Tonally reminiscent of recent Colm Tóibín." - Caoilinn Hughes

"An extremely moving read. Handles the complexities of love, grief, family life and mental illness with sensitivity and depth. A truly gorgeous novel." - Ali Land

"A beautifully observed saga of abandoned dreams, loss and self-discovery. A fabulous creation." - Alan McMonagle

"A remarkable book." - Joy Rhoades

"A perfect combination of deeply-felt tragedy with great hopefulness." - Anne Youngson


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