Donal Ryan Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Publication Order of Collections

Publication Order of Anthologies

Donal Ryan
Donal Ryan was born in 1977 in a village in north Tipperary, just a stroll away from the shores of Lough Derg.

He has a Law degree from the University of Limerick, and worked for the National Employment Rights Authority before the success of his first two novels let him pursue writing as his full time career.

He wrote the first draft of “The Spinning Heart” during the long summer evenings of 2010.

“The Spinning Heart” is the first stand alone novel and was released in 2012. In the aftermath of Ireland’s financial collapse, some dangerous tensions surface in one Irish town. While violence flares, the characters face this battle between inner desires and public persona. Through this chorus of unique voices, each one struggles to tell their own sort of truth, one single authentic story unfolds.

This book speaks for contemporary Ireland like no other novel out there. Vulnerable, wry, and all-too human, it captures the spirit and language of rural Ireland with uncanny perception articulates the thoughts and words of one generation. This novel about small town life is dark, witty, and sweetly poignant, while being technically daring and evocative of J. M. Synge and Patrick McCabe.

Donal’s brilliantly realized debut novel announces quite the stunning new voice in literary fiction.

The Spinning Heart won the Guardian First Book Award in 2013 and was longlisted for the 2013 Booker Prize.

“The Thing About December” is the second stand alone novel and was released in 2013. Set during the Celtic Tiger, here is a fierce novel that strikes right at the core of what it’s meant to be Irish during recent times.

While the Celtic Tiger is raging, and greed becomes the norm, Johnsey Cunliffe tries desperately to hang on to the familiar, even while he loses those who his whole life have kept him safe from a harsh world. After the deaths of his father and then his mom, he inherits the family farm, and a rather healthy bank account, both of which he proves to be incapable of managing by himself. Scheming land grabbers and village bullies stand in his way, no matter where he turns. Though the promise of love and companionship, enter into Johnsey’s life because of a hospital stay after a brutal beating, he remains a lonely man struggling to keep up in a world which moves faster than he does.

Set during a year of Johnsey’s life, this book breathes with his bewilderment, agonizing self-doubt, and humor. Readers are going to fall in love with Johnsey in a bittersweet story which serves as this poignant reminder which we are surrounded in life by some simple souls who are nevertheless more wise and insightful than we can even imagine or realize.

“All We Shall Know” is the third stand alone novel and was released in 2016. Melody Shee is in trouble and all alone. At 33 years old, she finds she’s pregnant with the child of Martin Toppy, a 17 year old Traveler boy, and not by Pat, her husband. Melody had been teaching Martin how to read, however he’s gone now, and Pat leaves her too, filled with rage.

She is attempting to stay in the moment, however the future’s looming, as the past will not let her go. It is a good thing that she meets Mary Crothery when she does then. Mary’s a bold young Traveler woman, and she knows so much more about Melody than she is letting on. She may just save Melody’s life.

Following the nine months of her pregnancy, this book unfolds with emotional immediacy in Melody’s funny, fierce, and unforgettable voice, while contending with her choices, both past and present.

“From a Low and Quiet Sea” is the fourth stand alone novel and was released in 2018. A moving novel about three men, each one searching for something they’ve lost.

Family is all, for Farouk. He’s kept his wife and daughter safe as best as he can from the hatred and war which has ripped Syria apart. Should they stay, they’ll lose their freedom, and become lesser persons. Should they flee, they’ll lose everything they’ve known of home, for some intangible dream of refuge in some faraway land across the merciless and ruthless ocean.

Lampy is distracted; having too much going on in his tiny town life in Ireland. He’s got the city girl for a bit of fun, however she is not Chloe and she took his heart away when she left him. There is the secret that his mom won’t ever tell him. His grandpa’s little sniping jokes are getting on his wick. And to top it all off, he’s got a bus to drive; those old folks from the home cannot wait all day.

The game was always the lifeblood that coursed through John’s veins; manipulating folks for his own enjoyment, or his enrichment or spite. However it was never enough. The ghost of his beloved brother, and the bitter disappointment of his dad, have been shadowing him his entire life. However now that lifeblood is slowing down, and he is unsure that God will listen to his pleas for forgiveness.

These three men, all searching for a version of home, their lives moving inexorably toward this reckoning which will draw all of them together.

“Strange Flowers” is the fifth stand alone novel and was released in 2020. Following the Gladney family across three generations that are seeking the true meaning of what it is to find love and home.

In 1973, Moll Gladney (23 years old) takes this morning bus from her rural home in Ireland and vanishes. Kit and Paddy, while being distraught and bewildered, have to confront an unbearable prospect: they might never see their daughter ever again.

Five years later, she returns from London. What (and who) she brings along with her is going to change the course of her family’s life forever. Devastating and beautiful, this exploration of alienation, loss, and the redemptive power of love reaffirms Donal as one of the most talented and empathetic authors at work today.