Chloë Ashby

Women on a wind-swept island: Hagstone, by Sinéad Gleeson, reviewed

Nell, an artist, lives peacefully on an island, presumably off the west coast of Ireland. But all changes when a group of women occupy a crumbling convent overlooking the sea

Sinead Gleeson. [Credit: Brid O’Donovan] 
issue 18 May 2024
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  • Hagstone

    Sinéad Gleeson

    4th Estate, pp. 272, £16

This absorbing and wild debut feels at once muzzily folkloric and sharply contemporary. It follows Nell, an artist who lives on a wind-whipped island without ties or commitments – until, that is, a group of women living an even quieter life commission her to make an artwork that will tell their story.

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