{"product_id":"few-and-far-between-hardcover","title":"Few and Far Between - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eJan Carson\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNamed a Most Anticipated Book of 2026 by \u003ci\u003eLitHub\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Millions\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eOur Culture\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cb\u003eFrom a \"deeply talented\" (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e), award-winning writer comes an alternate history of Northern Ireland's recent past\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e where the last remaining residents of a haunted archipelago face imminent eviction from their home.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1958, a politician's ludicrous proposal to create a seventh county for Northern Ireland by draining Lough Neagh--the largest lake in Ireland--was, quite understandably, never implemented. In \u003ci\u003eFew and Far Between\u003c\/i\u003e, Jan Carson imagines a timeline in which the scheme proceeded. When an archipelago emerges from the receding water, a utopian community establishes itself on the islands, hoping to escape the prejudices and dangers of Troubles-era Northern Ireland. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAs children in the 1970s, Marion and Robert-John Connolly moved to \"The Ark\" with their mercurial father, a prominent anthropologist studying this unique community. When the novel opens in 2017, the siblings are among the final few inhabitants. Sheltered from modernity, they work as the Ark's caretakers, monitoring the mysterious Far Side islands where ghostly figures linger and the land swallows secrets whole. A devastating algae outbreak is slowly destroying the landscape they love, but government plans to deal with the crisis by flooding the lough would force them back to the Mainland for the first time in fifty years. When a young anthropologist arrives for field research, the Connollys wonder if this ambitious academic might be the answer to all their problems. Can they keep the Ark from revealing too much of its past? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWritten with dark humor and a distinctive Northern voice, \u003ci\u003eFew and Far Between \u003c\/i\u003eis a novel about family and memory, toxic masculinity and modern womanhood, and the legacy of trauma that offers an illuminating look into the history of a complex place.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eJan Carson is the author of several short story collections and novels including \u003ci\u003eQuickly, While They Still Have Horses\u003c\/i\u003e; \u003ci\u003eThe Raptures\u003c\/i\u003e; and \u003ci\u003eThe Fire Starters\u003c\/i\u003e, winner of the EU Prize for Literature. She has won the \u003ci\u003eHarper's Bazaar \u003c\/i\u003eshort story competition and been shortlisted for many awards, including the BBC National Short Story Award, the Seán Ó Faoláin Short Story Prize, and the Irish Book Awards Novel of the Year. Jan is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and her writing has been translated into over a dozen languages, appeared in numerous journals, and been frequently broadcast on BBC Radio. She lives in Belfast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 336\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.4 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 28, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46885897076908,"sku":"9781668056639","price":40.6,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0761\/9828\/1388\/files\/DVcjO13dhK9781668056639.webp?v=1785950448","url":"https:\/\/booksalong.com\/products\/few-and-far-between-hardcover","provider":"Books Along","version":"1.0","type":"link"}