Shall We Gather at the River?

The central event of this novel takes place on the 1 November 1984, when the river Rua bursts its banks, flooding the small Irish town of Murn and the surrounding areas. In the days that follow, nine bodies are discovered in the receding waters in what appears to be an incident of cluster suicides. Was the flood the pre-ordained destiny of this town? And why did so many poor souls choose to drown themselves in its spate?

Author Peter Murphy answers these questions through the story of local resident, Elvis fanatic and aspiring radio evangelist, Enoch O'Reilly, who as a child believes he has heard ghost predictions of watery doom via his father's wireless set. From this starting point, the reader is taken on an elaborate journey across prehistoric legend, Buddhist meditation, Irish folklore, the Korean war, psychiatry, philosophy, religion, the occult, the science of the airwaves and of course, a pilgrimage to Memphis, Tennessee. But this is also the story of a false prophet, a man in search of his father and the powerful spirits of the river itself.

Murphy creates a vivid narrative as he interweaves Enoch's story with colourful and often poignant vignettes from the lives of those who drowned in the flood. He writes with all the eloquence, cadence, erudition and playfulness expected of the great Irish literary tradition, adding just a touch of Celtic magic realism along the way, to create a heady mix that will keep the reader engaged to the very end.