(Short stories)

As we climb the wooden hill to bed each night we trace our life’s journey from birth, then each step toward death, the final sleep.

This collection of short stories, by Jamie Guiney, explores what it is to be human at every stage of life, from the imminence of a new birth in ‘We Knew You Before You Were Born’, through to adolescence and the camaraderie of youthful friendships as portrayed in ‘Sam Watson & The Penny World Cup’.

Ultimately, all of our lives stride towards old age and the certainty of death, as poignantly evoked in the title story, ‘The Wooden Hill’.

‘Jamie Guiney’s stories feel like classics read by the fireside on dark, winter nights. Tales of ordinary people and their everyday lives are illuminated and elevated by Guiney’s keen eye and gentle empathy.'

Paul McVeigh - Winner of The Polari Prize and The McCrea Literary Award

‘Evocative, lyrical and touching, The Wooden Hill is a stunning collection. Under Jamie Guiney’s pen the smallest detail becomes cinematic; characters breathe; landscapes live. Intensely personal, unflinchingly human, these are stories to savour, lingering long after the end.
Miranda Dickinson – Sunday Times Bestseller