A pocketful of stones

Brandon Marlowe (his German-born mother's wry tribute to her favourite film star), the troubled hero of John Evans's powerful second novel, lives his life on the edge of the dark. Evans's account of a maimed life and an imperfect hero is harrowing but ultimately cathartic, as the man struggles against a malign fate to win a proper life for his son. Set in Wexford, Dublin and Frankfurt, A Pocketful of Stones is an unforgettable novel by one of Ireland's newest and most promising writers.