The Scattering

The 18 stories in The Scattering explore life on the Irish border, a fraught existence forever influenced by the Troubles. Gazing into the darker side of human nature, Jaki McCarrick examines the themes of dual identity, emigration and being locked between two states: certainty and doubt, codependency and freedom, constraint and catastrophe. The result is a uniquely Ulster take on the Gothic short story.

Of the stories included: ''The Visit'' won the 2010 Wasafiri Prize for new fiction; ''The Congo'' was shortlisted for the 2009 Asham Award for short fiction; ''Hellebores'' was shortlisted for the 2010 Fish Short Story Prize.

"Set mostly on the Irish border, [the stories] touch wistfully on familiar themes (emigration, the Troubles), with curve balls including a story about a time traveller on a mission to save the planet by wiping out mankind."
Metro

"A tender story of mourning and longing."
Tania Hirshmann, The Short Review on ''The Sanctuary''

"An incredible piece of writing... I must, simply must, see more of her work."
Alex Smith, The Frogmore Papers on ''The Badminton Game''

"Jaki McCarrick tells a chilling tale of death and despair."
The Irish Emigrant on ''The Scattering''

Jaki McCarrick lives in Dundalk and studied at Trinity College, Dublin. Her poetry appears in magazines like Poetry Ireland Review and Southword, and in 2009 she was selected for the Poetry Ireland Introductions series of emerging poets. Her first play, The Mushroom Pickers (2005), premiered in London in 2006 and in New York in 2009. In 2009 she won first prize in the Northern Ireland Spinetinglers Dark Fiction competition.