Books
The Falling Thread
‘A deeply satisfying meshing of the vast sweep of history with the familiar textures of lives as they are lived’ Guardian
‘This poised, Jamesian debut novel about a Manchester family in the lead up to the first world war is a masterclass in detail and atmosphere’ Observer
‘O’Riordan’s prose is exquisite, and his tone cool and ironic, while subtly drawing attention to the barriers of class, gender and sexuality’ Financial Times
‘O’Riordan brings this world to life through masterful period detail and dexterous description that quickly immerse the reader in the past’ Irish Times
‘Immaculately written... O’Riordan imbues his narrative with an acutely modern awareness of power and capitalism’ Times
‘Beautifully observed detail and skilful evocation of the turbulence of the time build to a satisfying conclusion’ Daily Mail
‘Exquisite’ Metro
The Burning Ground
‘Quietly excellent … Short story writing in the mode of William Trevor or John Cheever’ Guardian
‘Exquisitely observed … These rich and varied slices of life ought to bring O’Riordan fresh admirers’ Daily Telegraph
‘The landscape of California fills this lush, lyrical debut short-story collection … The emotional temperature of these evocative stories is often scorching’ Observer
‘This assured and elegant collection is interested not in answers but in questions, in ambivalence: passing moments, frozen in time as if by a photographer’s keen eye, a lens catching light’ Financial Times
‘The depiction of his youthful characters is witty and raw, but what is startling for someone of his age is the way he gets inside the minds of his older characters, as they are forced to confront the loss of their younger selves’ Daily Mail
‘O’Riordan’s misfits provide ideal company the next time you find yourself mooching along the boardwalk … Wilfully mines the less glossy side of LA, and ordinary lives gone wrong, with haunting effect’ GQ
‘An impressive range of stories that run from the reflective to highly dramatic, and O’Riordan’s verbal polish as a poet shines throughout … Echoes of Ian McEwan and Graham Greene … Haunting’ Irish Times
‘A fine writer … His poetic talent for simile and image is certainly transferred intact to prose. Perhaps the biggest revelation is that he’s also an admirable humorist’ LA Review of Books
‘These stories convey beauty, wonder and expansiveness … At the same time there is an ever present consciousness that success is precarious, relationships unreliable, human flesh vulnerable, and our sufferings insignificant in the grand universal scheme’ TLS
In the Flesh
‘Elegant, beautifully turned poems that match an easy technique with a sophisticated intelligence. An auspicious debut.’ Nick Laird
‘O’Riordan has the painter’s eye for detail and the pianist’s touch for sounding the right notes’ Simon Armitage
A Herring Famine
‘More than an admirable return … a hard-won development in O'Riordan’s sinuous voice.’ Los Angeles Review of Books
‘O’Riordan’s delicate, attentive music is especially suited to capturing the intimacies and harms of our loves’ Guardian