‘Mountains are at once unmistakably present yet never truly fathomable.‘
– Ghost Mountain
[ About Ghost Mountain ]
Ghost Mountain, is a simple fable-like novel about a mountain that appears suddenly, and the way in which its manifestation ripples through the lives of characters in the surrounding community.
It looks at the uncertain fragile sense of self we hold inside ourselves, and our human compulsion to project it into the uncertain word around us, whether we’re ready or not.
It is also about the presence of absence, and how it shadows us in our lives.
[ My Review ]
Ghost Mountain by Rónán Hession publishes May 23rd with Bluemoose Books and is the highly anticipated third novel from this Irish writer that continues to shape-shift and surprise.
I was, and still am, a huge fan of Rónán’s previous two novels, Leonard and Hungry Paul, and Panenka. When Leonard and Hungry Paul first arrived into our consciousness, most readers were completely blown away by the simplicity, yet highly complex philosophical nature of the prose. Rónán Hession brings something extraordinarily different to the stage and, when Panenka graced our shelves, we were once again astounded at the beauty of his words. Rónan Hession reads a lot of translated work, including Japanese novels, and I suspect his own reading habits are reflected in his writing style, more so than ever in Ghost Mountain.
‘It was in the ordinary sense of the word, a mountain. Emerging from the surrounding unfamous landscape, it was higher than all around it, though not very high. Limpet-shaped, its crest was bare and rounded, like a knee…’
In a sleepy, non-descript town a mountain suddenly appears out of the landscape, discovered one morning by Elaine, a local lady walking her dog. But, due to an unfortunate incident, Elaine is delayed in reporting this strange phenomenon. After a few days, word spreads and the locals are confused, and a little intrigued. Where did this mountain come from? How can a mountain just appear? As the community adopt different attitudes, and speculate as to its origin, the reader is taken on an almost voyeuristic journey into the lives of some of the local inhabitants.
Ruth and Ocho are a married couple, struggling with their fractured relationship. There is the local Clerk of Maps who is thrilled at this sudden landscape deformation and, with his theodolite in hand, relates his expertise to anyone who will listen, fluffed up with his own self-importance. There is the town drunk, Dominic, who is known for his eccentricities and has accepted his role in life, but the mapping of the mountain offers him some unexpected opportunities. There is the landowner, whose field the mountain has appeared on. It was his father’s land, but left to him following his death. The paths of these characters criss-cross throughout the novel, as they morph into slightly different versions of themselves.
Rónán Hession is an unusual writer. There is no major drama in his work, with each novel exploring humanity and the emotional complexities of daily living. Paulo Coelho’s writing, in particular The Alchemist, immediately sprung to mind when reading Ghost Mountain. There is a mystical and symbolic nature to both novels, encouraging the reader to ask questions and delve a little deeper beyond the superficial façade of life. The mountain attracts all sorts, from suspected cultists, to those seeking enlightenment, and everything in between. There are those who climb the mountain. circumnavigate the mountain, camp beside the mountain and die on the mountain.
‘But what impressed her most was the way Ghost Mountain had appeared. Not that it had appeared suddenly. Not that it had appeared mysteriously. What impressed her most was that it had appeared and had no message.’
Ghost Mountain is an unconventional novel, one that needs time to process and consider. Rónán Hession is not a mainstream writer, nor has any ambition to be one. He’s very interested in society, in particular the marginalised, who are often depicted as lesser beings. His approach to portraying ordinary people, going about their lives, is quite unusual, encouraging every reader to take a closer look at themselves and the busyness of their day-to-day. Conformity is not ever a descriptive trait that I would associate with Rónán Hession’s writing. He writes according to his own beat, which is no surprise as he is also a musician!
At times dark, Ghost Mountain is, as described, a fable of sorts, examining the varied perceptions of people and how individual thoughts can smoulder, and ultimately implode, within our own minds. Quite a remarkable tale Ghost Mountain is a compassionate and astute novel written in the unorthodox style of this understated and unassuming writer, one who is not afraid to experiment and challenge his readers.
** Thank you to Rónán Hession and Bluemoose Books for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review
[ Bio ]
Ronan Hession is a writer and musician who lives outside Dublin with his family.
His debut ‘Leonard and Hungry Paul’ was published in 2019 and was an RTE Book of the week and BBC Radio 2 Book Club choice. Short listed for 6 literary prizes and chosen for One Dublin One Book award in 2021. It has been translated into 6 languages.
His second novel Panenka was short listed for the An Post Book Award and The British Book Award.
X ~ @MumblinDeafRo
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