29th October 2025 | |
7pm | |
Waterstones Sauchiehall Street 153-157 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow City Centre G2 3EW |
|
£5 General Admission / £18 with a copy of Heap Earth Upon It | |
Visit the event website here | |
January 1965. The orphaned O'Leary siblings - Tom, Jack, Anna and Peggy - arrive in the village of Ballycrea, tight-lipped about their troubled past and desperate for a fresh start.
After being met with suspicion from most of the locals, the family are thrilled when they're taken under the wing of their well-respected neighbours, Bill and Betty Nevan, who offer them work, companionship and an opportunity to fit in.
But for one of the O'Learys, this new friendship sparks an intense attachment that makes the dynamic dangerous for all. It's difficult to bury secrets, but almost impossible to bury feelings..
Heap Earth Upon It is a beautifully-written, haunting story of longing and grief told by characters that draw you into themselves and the dark secrets threaded through each of them. It's also a slow-burn mystery revealed chapter by chapter as we find out exactly how far each person will go to justify the stories they tell themselves
I lost myself in Chloe Michelle Howarth's strange and startling second novel. It's a deeply affecting tapestry of gothic landscapes and virtuosic, character driven prose. As it haunted me, Heap Earth Upon It will haunt you too - Lucy Rose, author of The Lamb
A tense and claustrophobic novel with gothic atmosphere that seeps into your bones like fog. It's a fascinating look at mid-century rural Irish life, and a brutal exploration of the corrosive impact of shame and secrecy. Chloe Michelle Howarth knows her sapphic yearning! - Rachel Dawson, author of Neon Roses
Heap Earth Upon It is the perfect slow burn, an absorbing, multifaceted and uneasy novel, with inscrutable characters who shed layers until their fierce, flawed centres are revealed. Set in a 1960s rural Ireland that feels almost timeless, Howarth takes the 'a stranger comes to town' trope and weaves a mesmerising, shimmering web with it, deftly building and breaking tensions with a glance across a room, or a knock on a door. I was drawn in by the characters' quiet watchfulness and insularity, and the strong sense of place, but I was held captive by their rich interiorities, in particular Anna's simmering, swooning obsession that I felt must surely, soon, boil over... A triumph of a second novel - Emma van Straaten, author of This Immaculate Body
Dark, passionate and poised. A remarkable story of the way rural Ireland haunts and is haunted. Intense and thrilling - Soula Emmanuel, author of Wild Geese
Where possible we will update our listings to notify of cancelled, postponed and rescheduled events, however we STRONGLY ADVISE that you check with the venue/organiser in the first instance for updates.
All information (whether in text or photographs) is supplied in good faith but should not be relied upon as being a statement of representation or fact.GOT AN EVENT TO SHARE? It's free to post your events on What's On Glasgow, click here to find out more!
Want to be the first to hear about what's happening in Glasgow? Just hit 'Like' on our Facebook page, join the What's On Scotland Facebook Group and 'Follow' on our Twitter account and you're all set!Graeme Macrae Burnet launches the latest book in Polygon's bestselling and critically acclaimed Darkland Tales series in conversation with Sara Sheridan at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street!
READ MOREJoin bestselling author Ann Cleeves at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street as she discusses the exciting return of her much loved character, Jimmy Perez, back to her award winning Shetland series.
READ MOREAndrew O'Hagan, the bestselling author of Mayflies and Caledonian Road, discusses his latest book 'On Friendship', with Kirstin Innes at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street.
READ MOREDon't miss this very exciting opportunity to meet bestselling fantasy author Stephanie Garber at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street as she signs copies of her captivating new novel Alchemy of Secrets!
READ MOREBe among the first to hear from three exciting new voices as they give Waterstones Sauchiehall Street an exclusive sneak peek into their 2026 novels and writing as part of Aye Write 2025!
READ MOREJoin Waterstones Sauchiehall Street for a Reading Group Fiction based panel discussion with debut authors with Heather Mottershead, Gurnaik Johal and Lisa Smith as part of Aye Write 2025!
READ MOREJoin us in Waterstones for a LGBTQI+ Fiction based panel discussion with debut authors with Seth Insua, Michael Amherst and Niamh Ní Mhaoileoin.
READ MOREJoin us in Waterstones for a Poetry based panel discussion led by Jim Carruth with debut poets Michael Mullen, Dean Browne and Desree as part of Aye Write 2025.
READ MOREJoin the team at Waterstones for a Speculative Fiction panel discussion led by Arusa Qureshi with debut authors Emily Buchanan, Oraine Johnson and Chris Kohler.
READ MOREWith booksellers on hand to help with expert recommendations and a range of local authors signing their books, don't miss Waterstones Sauchiehall Street's Christmas Shopping Evening on November 27th!
READ MOREGlasgow's Book Fair, Books at the Botanics, is held every month in the Hopkirk building at Glasgow's Botanic Gardens!
READ MOREGlasgow Mitchell Library Classics Book Group runs on the first Thursday of each month with the library kindly providing books for all members, so there is no cost involved!
READ MOREJoin Bigglestones Books at the Trades Hall Of Glasgow for an evening with Mary Portas for the launch of her new book I Shop, Therefore I Am: The '90s, Harvey Nicks – and Me.
READ MOREJulia Shaw, author of Making Evil, joins Waterstones Argyle Street for a discussion of ecological criminals and the heroes resisting them in this launch event for her latest book, Green Crime!
READ MOREHead along to the Scottish Music Centre on Thursday 9th October as they kick off their Glasgow 850 celebrations with an evening dedicated to the city's legendary music scene!
READ MOREGraeme Macrae Burnet launches the latest book in Polygon's bestselling and critically acclaimed Darkland Tales series in conversation with Sara Sheridan at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street!
READ MOREJoin bestselling author Ann Cleeves at Waterstones Sauchiehall Street as she discusses the exciting return of her much loved character, Jimmy Perez, back to her award winning Shetland series.
READ MORETo celebrate the recent release of a wonderful retelling of the classic, Alice With a Why by Anna James, can you help solve some peculiar puzzles in the children's bookshop?
READ MOREJoin leading political journalist Peter Oborne as he discusses his explosive new book Complicit, in conversation with The National editor Laura Webster.
READ MORE