Critical acclaim for Kilkenny writer's debut novel

Brendan Casey, Irish/Australian writer has released his debut novel, She That Lay Silent-Like Upon Our Shore.

The novel was longlisted for the 2020 Deborah Rogers Foundation Award and was published by John Murray Originals in June, 2023.

Brendan Casey wrote his new and highly rated book in a cottage in rural Kilkenny village, Inistioge. Casey drew inspiration from an old song called A Beast Washed Ashore by White Hinterland and Casey Dienel and the peaceful nature of the Inistioge woodlands through his creative process.

Casey was looking for a place in Kilkenny to call home when he stumbled upon a cottage in Inistioge near the infamous Woodstock Gardens. This is where he began to write what was yet to be a successful novel. He wrote in peace in the picturesque village with his headphones in and Casey Dienel on repeat.

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Brendan Casey speaks with such passion and love for the novel but highlighted it came as a shock to him and those who knew him.

“It’s not the book I thought I'd write, my brother said the same thing after reading it!” he said.

“It was a complete surprise and came out with no calculation or forethought which I think is something that makes the book really special.”

Essentially the book is a coming of age story but it does deal with a variety of issues from religion to the natural world. The protagonist has a really interesting dynamic with the beached whale and shows strong themes of boyhood through the projection the boy cultivates of the relationship he has with what is really a dead beached whale. “There is an innocence to the book but I really saw the room for intertwinement of volatility there.” said Casey.

“The story just came as I wrote, which is actually something I'm really proud of.”

“The book came from me, there was no other influence and it was all very genuine.” he said.

Casey spoke about the move to Inistioge. Being a writer, trying to break away and move to a rural place not knowing anyone and being unfamiliar with the area.

“It's intimidating to decide to become a writer especially with no connections in the literacy industry, but it's all a learning curve. It was all unfamiliar but it couldn’t have worked out better. I'm really lucky to have found Inistioge to suit exactly what I was doing. It is such a peaceful village and it helped me to pursue the cliche but pure inspiration to write the novel.” said Casey.

Renowned author Anne Enright has described Casey’s book as ‘an act of pure imagination’.

“This is one of those stories that arrive fully formed in the writer’s head, asking to be written first and understood later. The result is a kind of vision, told with great attention to language, voice and tone,” she said.
Brendan Casey’s work in Inistioge is not done yet as he is now revisiting a book he had started which is solely based on the woodlands of the Woodstock Gardens.