The Raptures

Absolutely MAGNIFICENT: dark, witty, charming. I LOVED it * MARIAN KEYES *
Heart-rending, hilarious … It’s a belter. * LOUISE KENNEDY *
An Agatha Christie-esque whodunnit, a dark supernatural mystery and an account of mass trauma. Carson forges these parts into a tragicomedy in which fantastic elements slot almost seamlessly alongside kitchen-sink realism…compassionate and meticulously observed.’ * GUARDIAN *
Original and vivid, The Raptures is its own beautiful, unique thing * IRISH TIMES *
The book’s beauty comes from its hilarious depiction of claustrophobic small-town life * Sunday Times *
An utterly compulsive and gripping portrayal of the brilliance of children, the power of intergenerational relationships, and the certainty of our human desire to belong. An utterly engrossing read - one that confronts the trauma of loss and the dangers of religious zealotry through powerful narrative, compelling characters and sharp wit. Jan Carson is a true original. An absolute must read. Outstanding. * ELAINE FEENEY *
The Raptures is a wonderful piece of fiction. It engages the reader with a clever plot and with its perfect portrayal of parochial life in Northern Ireland imploded by tragedy told in prose that shimmers with empathy, warmth and humanity. * IRISH INDEPENDENT *
A fascinating tale of trauma, fury and panic. * INDEPENDENT *
I gobbled up The Raptures. It’s a delightful read - sharp, packed with wit and heart, and always utterly absorbing. And it’s got that perfectly Irish mix of darkness and humour, the smartarsed wink into the void. * LISA MCINERNEY *
A blistering account of small-town Ulster life, The Raptures is unflinching in its exploration of the corrosive effects of fear and small-mindedness on a community, and the trauma wreaked by uncompromising religious fundamentalism on a young and tender soul. Rich in a glorious colloquial idiom, rich with Jan Carson’s sharp, sardonic wit, it is ultimately a hopeful read, too, about the ways - whether we like it or not - we are all connected. This is a book written from the guts and from the heart. * LUCY CALDWELL *

Jan Carson is a writer based in Belfast. She has published three novels, three short story collections, and two micro-fiction collections.

Her novel The Fire Starters won the EU Prize for Literature for Ireland in 2019. Jan’s latest novel, The Raptures, was published by Doubleday in early 2022 and was subsequently shortlisted for the An Post Irish Novel of the Year and Kerry Group Novel of the Year. Her short story collection Quickly, While They Still Have Horses was published by Doubleday (UK) in April 2024 and Scribner (US) in July 2024.

Her writing has been aired on BBC Radio 3 and 4, and RTE. She is the Seamus Heaney Centre Fellow at Queen’s University Belfast 2025 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Her first stage play, an adaptation of the children’s classic The Velveteen Rabbit, will be produced by Replay Theatre Company at the Lyric Theatre, Belfast in March 2025. Her next novel, Few and Far Between, is forthcoming in early 2026.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.