Some children just shine, don’t they? No matter what.
March 2022, New Island Books
“At the centre of this novel is a little boy so kind and courageous, so funny and warm he’s literally going to break your heart. McVeigh’s storytelling takes her readers on a journey which effortlessly spans time, geography and reality itself. She asks big questions about community, belonging and what makes a real family.” – JAN CARSON
‘From Libya to Louisiana, Lenny is a fearless and hugely imaginative novel that perfectly captures the essence of a troubled childhood.’ —CHRISTINE DWYER HICKEY
‘Lenny is a beautiful novel that beguiles the reader with its cast of characters, damaged, quirky and full of humanity, its deep sense of place and connections to a wider universe. Laura McVeigh’s writing is a luminous and sharply observed depiction of loneliness and the redemptive power of love. Lenny continues to shine long after the novel ends.’ —LAURA McKENNA
‘Lenny is a child like no other. And with his namesake, the novel, McVeigh has pulled off a heart-and mind-altering feat of imagination.’ —ANDREW MEEHAN
A magical tale of family, loss and the redemptive power of the imagination to heal and survive.
2011. In the Ubari Sand Sea, during the First Libyan Civil War, a mysterious pilot falls from the sky and makes a home with the family of the little boy who rescues him.
A year later, in Roseville, Louisiana, in the aftermath of economic crisis, growing pollution levels due to climate damage, and with the land submerging under ever-rising waters, ten-year-old Lenny Lockhart is losing the people and the things dearest to him. His only friends in this world now are his elderly but plucky neighbour, Miss Julie, and the town’s lonely librarian, Lucy Albert. His mother has left, and his father is back but damaged after his time in the military.
Homeless and neglected, Lenny heads deep into the Bayou, determined to conquer the sinkhole that is threatening to swallow his town. But as time seems to be running out, who really needs saving? Is it Lenny, the town, or the broken adults in his life?
Told in converging timelines, in deeply affecting storytelling, Lenny is a magical and timely novel of family and love, the different ways we can be kind, and the power of the imagination to heal.
“Each year, more and more of the old places were disappearing, just washed away, huge swathes of the country, plain gone. That was the story all along the riverbanks… At night, Lenny imagined the ghosts coming up out of the swampland and watching the town lights switch off one by one until all was darkness and the only sounds left were the night chorus of the frogs singing, the hoot of the owls, the birr of crickets’ wings.”
Advance Praise for Lenny
“This beautiful, imaginative novel enthrals with its message of kindness and love, and its unforgettable hero, Lenny. A David and Goliath story for the times we live in.” – Irish Independent
“Author Laura McVeigh exemplifies the breadth of talent that’s emerging… Lenny pulls on our heart strings… nuanced…impressive…unexpected… it shapeshifts and time warps, bringing into question our understanding of narrative, space, time.” – Irish Times
”Beautiful novel… an enchanting read” – Irish Examiner
”Remarkable novel – Lenny…the boy who will break your heart” – BBC Radio
”A beautiful tale” – Publishing Ireland
”With this marvellous novel…be prepared to cancel your plans for the rest of the evening” – Hot Press
”Delighted to present… Lenny” – RTÉ Culture
”Sometimes – and only sometimes – a book draws the reader in from the very first page, with its combination of exquisitely written details and characters, and a tale that captures and tugs at the heartstrings, Lenny is that book.” – Newry Reporter
”One to look out for” – 746 Books
Lenny is available at all good booksellers and independent bookshops, including via New Island Books, Waterstones, Blackwell’s, WHSmith, Amazon.
Laura McVeigh 