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Prophet Song

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Prophet Song

By: Paul Lynch
Narrated by: Gerry O'Brien
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About this listen

On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother of four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find the GNSB on her step. Two officers from Ireland’s newly formed secret police are here to interrogate her husband, a trade unionist.

Ireland is falling apart. The country is in the grip of a government turning towards tyranny and when her husband disappears, Eilish finds herself caught within the nightmare logic of a society that is quickly unravelling.

How far will she go to save her family? And what – or who – is she willing to leave behind?

Exhilarating, terrifying and propulsive, Prophet Song is a work of breathtaking originality, offering a devastating vision of a country at war and a deeply human portrait of a mother’s fight to hold her family together.

2023, Booker Prize, Winner

2023, An Post Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year, Short-listed

2025, Dublin Literary Award, Long-listed

©2023 Paul Lynch (P)2023 Bolinda Publishing Dystopian Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Political Science Fiction Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Scary Tear-jerking Thought-Provoking Marriage

Critic Reviews

'The comparisons are inevitable – Saramago, Orwell, McCarthy – but this novel will stand entirely on its own.' (Colum McCann, author of Apeirogon)

'Monumental ... You remember why fiction matters. It's hard to recall a more powerful novel in recent years.' (Samantha Harvey, author of The Western Wind)
'Prophet Song is a literary manifesto for empathy for those in need and a brilliant, haunting novel that should be placed into the hands of policymakers everywhere.' (The Guardian)
All stars
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I tried reading the book but gave up after the first chapter and invested in the Audible version. Beautifully read by the speaker, the prose is very poetic and I found it very comprehensible.
A very confronting read as it places an ordinary family in extraordinary circumstances that sadly exist in the world today. It will stay with me a very long time.

Compelling but Bleak!

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an unthinkable war (aren't they all) through the eyes of a mother. unrelentingly awful, and stripped of the sheen of glory this book should be compulsory reading for any one looking to change the world.

heartbreakingly beautiful

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Told with unwavering truth it tears the reader apart as we feel the inconsolable grief of a woman torn apart by the totalitarian state.

Tragic yet compelling

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A story that needed to be written and read. So timely and wise and notching be avoided. But be warned protect your heart.

Exquisite and devastating

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I really enjoyed this book. An uncomfortable read , but I had tokeep reading.

Had to keep listening

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This is the best book I have read this year. The story is a study of what happens to ordinary people when a totalitarian right wing political party takes over and how it affects the lives of everyday people. The story is gripping right to the last sentence. The story is also thought provoking in terms of 'could it happen here'. This is a book I will read again.

Fantastic Compelling Read

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Whilst the story is disturbing you can relate it to the thousands who have been displaced by war and political turmoil. It makes you think what if it was me? Would I have such courage and resilience?

Dark but compelling

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I haven’t been moved by a novel like this for a long while. Lynch writes like a poet. The narrator makes it all the more compelling. Thank you.

Devastating and beautiful

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This is a brilliant, flawless, courageous work of lyrical genius. Superb. A masterpiece. And it’s beautifully read.

Mother Courage for our time

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Excellent story deeply thought provoking. Paul Lynch’s interruption of ordinary people caught up in circumstances beyond their control is very well written. Very relatable in today’s world.

Prophet Song

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