Over Our Heads: the brilliant debut by Andrew Fox.A young man rushes to the bedside of his ex, knowing the baby she's having is not his own. Travelling colleagues experience an eerie moment of truth when a fire starts in their hotel. A misdirected parcel sets off a complex psychodrama involving two men, a woman and a dog ... Andrew Fox's clever, witty, intense and thoroughly entertaining stories capture the passions and befuddlements of the young and rootless, equally dislocated at home and abroad. Set in America and Ireland - and, at times, in jets over the Atlantic - Over Our Heads showcases a brilliant new talent.'The stories are wonderfully crafted and cared-for, the undertones are witty and ironic, but also serious and filled with sympathy' Colm Tóibín, Guardian'Over Our Heads is full of surprises, all of them great' Roddy Doyle, winner of the Booker Prize'Deft, clever, intense - this is a terrific debut from a very gifted new writer' Kevin Barry, winner of the IMPAC prize'Andrew Fox's stories are slivers of power; knowing, watchful and burning with intelligence. Lives half-lived or grasped at; loves longed for and destroyed; the journey of the modern emigrant who goes away in the same daze in which he comes home: these are stories which linger long after they have been read' Belinda McKeon'Fox is skilful at probing the bigger emotions: alienation, loss and nostalgia. His sparse prose is an effective counterpoint to complex feelings. His stories deal with the moments that shape a life: first trysts, the illness of a parent, the graduation of a child. ... Fox knows the hallmark of a good short story: leave the reader wanting more' Financial Times'An impressive and thoroughly enjoyable collection ... Fox lets his characters tramp around their worlds, searching for heaven on earth' Irish Times'Achieves the effect of intimating deep fissures of pain and longing beneath the lightest of surface cracks. Fox's prose is poised and confident, a well-honed tool with which to treat his delicate subject matter' Sunday Times'The best of these stories are very good indeed ... While there are few happy souls in these arresting stories, the reader can find consolation in Fox's supple prose and frequently subtle insights' Irish Independent'A remarkable new talent ... He is able to tread so lightly that we only realise we have been cleverly punched in the solar plexus after we finish the last line' Irish Mail on Sunday (five stars)
