Most anticipated novel of 2023 from the IRISH TIMES, TORONTO STAR • INDIE NEXT LIST PICK • LIBRARY READS SELECTION •
“A consistently surprising, evocative, almost impossible to put down, and gloriously original work.” —Booklist
A stunning debut novel from the Northern Irish poet Eoghan Walls, The Gospel of Orla is the coming-of-age story of a young girl, Orla, and the man she meets who has an astonishing and unique ability.
It is also a road novel that takes us across the north of England after the two flee Orla’s village together. Here the mysteries of faith charge full bore into the vagaries of contemporary mores. A humorous, wise, deeply human and sometimes breathtaking work of lyrical fiction.

“A melancholic, funny, and magical coming-of-age story, The Gospel of Orla is glorious, wise, and totally weird. I loved it.” —Annie Hartnett, author of Unlikely Animals
"[A] poignant, hopeful, compelling little book that offers a window into a troubled teenage soul." —The Spectator (UK)