This event is available to rewatch on our West Cork Literary Festival youtube channel. Click here to watch

The Art of Falling is a beautifully written family drama about betrayal, ownership and creativity. This is the debut novel from the author of acclaimed short story collection Dinosaurs on Other Planets. Danielle McLaughlin was the 2019 Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award Winner.

Nessa McCormack’s marriage is coming back together again after her husband’s affair. She is excited to be in charge of a retrospective art exhibit for one of Ireland’s most beloved and enigmatic artists, the late sculptor Robert Locke. But the arrival of two outsiders imperils both her personal and professional worlds: a chance encounter with an old friend threatens to expose a betrayal Nessa thought she had long put behind her, and at work, an odd woman comes forward claiming to be the true creator of Robert Locke’s most famous work, The Chalk Sculpture.

As Nessa finds the past intruding on the present, she must decide whether she can continue to live a lie – or whether she’s ready to face the consequences once everything is out in the open. In this gripping debut, Danielle McLaughlin reveals profound truths about love, power, and the secrets that rule us.