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The winner of the inaugural Books Ireland short-story competition, Aoife Fitzpatrick's work has also been recognised by the Séan O’Faoláin Prize, the Elizabeth Jolley Prize and the Writing.ie Short Story of the Year award. Her shortlisted debut novel, The Red Bird Sings, won the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize in 2020. Set in West Virginia in 1897, the novel delivers a searing feminist history of the death of young Zona Heaster Shue and the subsequent trial of her husband Trout. A tense Southern-Gothic-influenced work of historical fiction, Fitzpatrick paints a searing portrait of domestic violence, women's voices and the true meaning of justice, confronting urgent issues of the present day. The Red Bird Sings is shortlisted for Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year.
Congratulations on making the shortlist for Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year! How does it feel to have this recognition?
Grateful, and very happy that The Red Bird Sings has connected strongly enough with readers to gain a nomination. It also increases my hopes that I’ve done justice to the people whose real-life experiences inspired the novel.
When did you begin your writing journey? And what has it been like?
I’ve been writing since my twenties, with enough intention that it compromised every other possible career, but without pursuing publication in a serious way. Still, in the last number of years, my writing has found a natural path. My first short story was shortlisted for the Séan O’Faoláin Prize, another short story won a prize inaugurated by Books Ireland, and I went on to gain an MFA in Creative Writing at UCD, where The Red Bird Sings was my novel in progress. The book went on to win the Lucy Cavendish Fiction Prize. Through the judging process, I met my brilliant agent who secured a book deal with Virago Press. And here I am, nominated for Newcomer of the Year at the An Post Irish Book Awards.
Tell us a bit about your book?
The Red Bird Sings is based on the real-life trial of a man named Trout Shue for the murder of his young wife, Zona Heaster, in West Virginia in 1897. The true story is packed with bizarre and extraordinary happenings, many of which are dramatised in the book. But perhaps the most unusual circumstance relates to a claim made by the victim’s mother, Mary Jane Heaster, who alleged that her daughter’s ghost had come to tell her that it was her husband, Trout, who had killed her. The novel is suspenseful, with gothic undertones; expect the turmoil that manipulative people foment in the lives of family and friends, lots of edge-of-your-seat courtroom scenes, and a big finale.
What were your aims and ideas when it came to this book? And what do you hope readers take away from it?
When I first heard about Zona’s murder, and her courageous mother’s attempts to gain justice for her, I knew that I wanted to write about the urgent problem of domestic homicide. Very little has changed since Zona’s death, meaning that The Red Bird Sings is not just a novel about her murder, but a book about every woman - before or since - who has been killed by a man known to her. I wanted to cast a fresh eye over a cultural secret that our contemporary society not only deplores, but also seems to take for granted. At its core, this is a novel about voice and authority. In the case of the women in The Red Bird Sings, to what lengths must they go to be heard? Or believed? Or for meaningful change to happen?
Ireland is a literary powerhouse - do you think it’s supportive of its new writers?
The powerhouse has some great foundations that are improving all the time and continue to benefit new writers. Tax exemptions and literature bursaries from the Arts Council of Ireland have made so many careers possible - including my own debut. And the current pilot scheme trialling basic income for over 2000 artists in Ireland has enormous promise; if implemented in full, it could transform access to writing and publishing, allowing us to hear from a rich and true cross-section of our society. None of which would mean anything without the people of the book community - our stellar booksellers, librarians, festival directors, the Dublin Unesco City of Literature… the Irish readers. New writing is met with sincere belief and goodwill, often in the form of generosity from other writers - a huge gift to any debut.
What’s next for you?
My second novel will also be published by Virago Press. Set in a period earlier than The Red Bird Sings, it’s about a figure who is well-known but drastically underexplored in terms of her relevance to contemporary culture. I’m in the early stages of drafting, and quite well settled on the nest.
Who are your favourite Irish writers?
There are infinite ways to slice this; here’s a sample serving. The writers who first gave me a sense of an Irish tradition are Samuel Beckett, Flann O’Brien, Kate O’Brien, Bram Stoker and William Trevor. They all knocked my socks off in different ways.
For the possibilities of language and form in contemporary fiction, I look to Anna Burns, Anne Enright and Audrey Magee. Christine Dwyer Hickey, Emma Donoghue and Maggie O’Farrell are talented, versatile, historical-fiction lodestars. Themes of masculinity are, happily, rising to the fore in literature, and Niall Williams’ lyrical body of work deserves fresh attention in its depictions of male experience. Last, but never least, the poets: Eavan Boland, Ailbhe Darcy, Seamus Heaney, Derek Mahon.
What An Post Irish Book Awards shortlisted book is next on your to-be-read pile?
The Last Lifeboat by Hazel Gaynor, based on the true story of an evacuation by sea during World War II. It discusses the fate of passengers on the S.S. Carlisle after the ship is sunk by a U-boat torpedo. (It puts me in mind of childhood visits to Glencree, where many who were lost on the S.S. Arandora Star are buried.) Hazel is not only a terrific historical fiction writer, but an incredible supporter of historical fiction and writers. Through her initiative, Historia Live has come to Ireland - a series of brilliant author events in association with the Historical Writers Association. Keep an eye out for more news in 2024!
Explore the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Year Shortlist here.