After the publication of his most recent book, Alex Smyth receives a trout fly in the mail at his home address in rural Canada - with no message and no return address. It stirs a fear in him that he is being stalked, and it awakens deeply buried, inchoate memories from his childhood in Ireland, a time before he was old enough to understand the adult world around him. It also evokes the guilt that he may have murdered a man, a feeling so strong it changes him and threatens his marriage. Soon, in hopes of solving the mysteries that surround him, Alex feels that he has no choice but to return home to Ireland and to his estranged father. A novel of great literary beauty that is structured as a tense psychological thriller, The Trout is a tale of predators and prey, deception, and the hidden crimes that can shape a life.
"The strong characters, the excellent pacing, the sense of mystery, the undercurrent of menace and the beauty of the writing all come together to suck you in - in what is essentially a perfect storm of a novel...The Trout is a film in waiting."
Irish Daily Mail
"Cunningham's engaging novel challenges us to create our own metaphors so we may, like the trout, raise our head above the surface towards truth."
Sunday Times (London)
"With its woven motifs, its tragic memories and its reflection on the quest for beginnings, The Trout subtly explores an existence forever marked by a childhood trauma. The precise and masterful use of suspense makes this a thrilling and emotional novel."
