Where the Edge Is

Book excerpt: As a sleepy town in rural Ireland starts to wake, a road subsides, trapping an early-morning bus and five passengers inside. Rescue teams struggle and as two are eventually saved, the bus falls deeper into the hole. Under the watchful eyes of the media, the lives of three people are teetering on the edge. And for those on the outside, from Nina, the reporter covering the story, to rescue liaison, Tim, and Richie, the driver pulled from the wreckage, each are made to look at themselves under the glare of the spotlight. When their world crumbles beneath their feet, they are forced to choose between what they cling to and what they must let go of. The debut novel from Gráinne Murphy, whose short fiction has been longlisted for 2021 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award. ‘A suspenseful, beautifully crafted debut’Irish Examiner ‘Truly brilliant’Emily Mazzara, Books Ireland ‘With sentences that you will want to cut out and keep, this is an intelligent, exquisitely crafted debut’Fiona Mitchell ‘Original and shattering’Marianne Lee ‘Poignant, thought-provoking and accomplished’Carol Mason ‘A powerful novel about survival’Dan Mooney