Experts in a Dying Field: The funny and moving novel about friendship, secrets, and the alchemy of music

'Offbeat, ironic, humane and hilarious, Experts in a Dying Field is an earworm you’ll be humming along to for a long time to come.' PAUL MURRAY

'A wonderfully evocative novel from a major storytelling talent.’ JOSEPH O'CONNOR

‘Just pure joy and pure heartbreak and GENUINE LAUGHS all the way through. I cried a few times too.’ MARINA HYDE

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The Heathens thought of themselves as 'the 1000th best band of all time'. Then their tour van crashed, and one of their members died.

Twenty years later, weird things are happening in Dublin, bringing the surviving members of the band together in ways none of them could have anticipated and lifting the lid on mysteries from their shared past.

Experts in a Dying Field is a gloriously sharp, witty and surprising novel about friendship, secrets, the strange workings of grief and guilt, and the joyful alchemy of music, from a writer with a unique ability to access humour and deep emotion.

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'Hums with life, told with the rigour and brilliance of one of Ireland’s finest minds. As profound as it is hilarious, Freyne’s voice is unmistakable: clever, tender, and original. Read it once, then read it again. Then go to the pub.’ ELAINE FEENEY

‘A paean to friendship, forgiveness and the power of music, told with the blend of empathy and wit that is Freyne's trademark. I loved this book’ LOUISE KENNEDY

‘Brilliantly captures the chaos and camaraderie of band culture’ SINÉAD GLEESON

‘A lovely, tender and funny book, full of empathy and scruffy wisdom’ MARK O'CONNELL

‘In essence this novel is a love song to music and all of its transformative magical powers, sung in Freyne's inimitable style. His debut has inherited the beloved DNA of his personal essays but created something entirely new. This is one for the dreamers.’ Irish Times

‘Humane, wry, tender, engaging … wants us to forgive ourselves for our unavoidable human f*ckups (which I very much appreciate)’ MARIAN KEYES

‘Even when it’s howl-out-loud funny, this is an affectionate book … it’s got real soul.’ IRISH INDEPENDENT

‘A brilliant book … very funny, in an understated Irish way, and the humour makes me miss home.’ ANNIE MAC

'Kaleidoscopic ... Clever, warm and moving, it’s a remarkable book, thrumming with music and with love.' DOIREANN NÍ GHRÍOFA

‘Freyne has a rare knack for making you cackle out loud, and he has channelled that magic into his second book … packed with massive empathy’ Sunday Independent

‘Beautiful, big-hearted, silly and profound' SÉAMAS O'REILLY

‘Rich, funny, moving and alive. The Commitments for a generation who grew up burning their own CDs off dodgy LimeWire MP3s.' RÓISÍN LANIGAN

‘Poignant and beautifully observed. Patrick Freyne writes about his characters with humour, care and loving attention.’ RÓNÁN HESSION

‘Witty, boisterous and warm. Confirms Freyne as a writer who cares deeply about people.’ LISA MCINERNEY

‘A sharply funny and tender book. You can hear the music coming off every page. Wonderful.’ JULIA RAESIDE

'Sizzles with hope, laughs and the tensions that come from knowing someone in their brighter, younger days and wishing, perhaps, that you've left them there. Nostalgic, darkly funny, and real – perfect for anyone trying to make sense of what it means to have history.' JUSTIN MYERS

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Praise for Patrick Freyne

'Patrick Freyne is a comic genius' MARIAN KEYES

'A writer of rare humour, depth, and humanity' MARK O'CONNELL

'No one makes me laugh like Patrick Freyne' PAUL HOWARD

'A brilliant writer' BLINDBOY BOATCLUB

'Patrick Freyne has a distinct and enviable gift for story-telling' SINÉAD GLEESON

'One of the funniest writers in Ireland' IRISH EXAMINER

Patrick Freyne spent most of his twenties trying to be a rock star before turning to the much more stable and secure world of journalism. He is a features writer at the Irish Times. His first book, OK, Let's Do Your Stupid Idea was longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize in 2021.