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The Raptures

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What to expect

Brought to you by Penguin.

When several children from the same village start succumbing to a mysterious illness, the quest to discover the cause has devastating and extraordinary consequences.

It is late June in Ballylack. Hannah Adger anticipates eight long weeks' reprieve from school, but when her classmate Ross succumbs to a violent and mysterious illness, it marks the beginning of a summer like no other.

As others fall ill, questions about what - or who - is responsible pitch the village into conflict and fearful disarray. Hannah is haunted by guilt as she remains healthy while her friends are struck down. Isolated and afraid, she prays for help.

Elsewhere in the village, tempers simmer, panic escalates and long-buried secrets threaten to emerge.

Bursting with Carson's trademark wit, profound empathy and soaring imagination, The Raptures explores how tragedy can unite a small community - and tear it apart. At its heart is the extraordinary resilience of one young girl. As the world crumbles around her, she must find the courage to be different in a place where conforming feels like the only option available.

Darkly funny, highly inventive and deeply moving, The Raptures is an unmissable novel.


'Absolutely MAGNIFICENT: dark, witty, charming. I LOVED it.' MARIAN KEYES

'Utterly absorbing' LISA MCINERNEY

'Heart-rending, hilarious . . . it's a belter' LOUISE KENNEDY


'Blistering...glorious...written from the guts and from the heart.' LUCY CALDWELL

'An original and exciting work that's equal parts terrifying, hilarious and memorable.' SUNDAY TIMES

© Jan Carson 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026

Critics Review

Absolutely MAGNIFICENT: dark, witty, charming. I LOVED it
MARIAN KEYES
Heart-rending, hilarious . . . It's a belter.
LOUISE KENNEDY
An Agatha Christie-esque whodunnit, a dark supernatural mystery and an account of mass trauma. Carson forges these parts into a tragicomedy in which fantastic elements slot almost seamlessly alongside kitchen-sink realism...compassionate and meticulously observed.'
GUARDIAN
Original and vivid, The Raptures is its own beautiful, unique thing
IRISH TIMES
The book's beauty comes from its hilarious depiction of claustrophobic small-town life
Sunday Times
Author Jan Carson
Narrator Jan Carson
Duration 10 hours and 24 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781529982213
Format Audiobook
Publisher Transworld
Genre Crime and mystery: hard-boiled crime, noir fiction, Humorous fiction, Modern and contemporary fiction, Narrative theme: Death, grief, loss
Availability AU, GB, IE

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