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  • Prophet Song

  • By: Paul Lynch
  • Narrated by: Gerry O'Brien
  • Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (199 ratings)

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Prophet Song

By: Paul Lynch
Narrated by: Gerry O'Brien
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Publisher's Summary

Winner of the Booker Prize 2023 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 Paul Lynch (P)2023 Bolinda Publishing
Dystopian Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Political Emotionally Gripping Heartfelt Scary Thought-Provoking Tear-jerking
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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)

What listeners say about Prophet Song

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Profile Image for Rh

Tragic yet compelling

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

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Exquisite and devastating

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

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Profile Image for Ro

Had to keep listening

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

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Profile Image for MISS

Fantastic Compelling Read

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.

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Profile Image for Beth

Dark but compelling

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?

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Profile Image for James Allen

Devastating and beautiful

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.

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Mother Courage for our time

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

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Profile Image for N. Brown

heartbreakingly beautiful

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.

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Profile Image for Kerry

Prophet Song

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.

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Profile Image for Anonymous User

A word smith's dystopia! Terrifyingly possible.

The descriptive writing along with the dreamlike and other worldly feel to the words makes for a gripping listen. Captivatingly performed by Gerry O'Brien!

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.