Photo Credit: Myriam Nicodemus
Dionne Irving is originally from Toronto, Ontario. She is the author of Quint (7.13 Books) and The Islands (Catapult Books) in 2022. Her work has appeared in Story, Boulevard, LitHub, Missouri Review, and New Delta Review, among other journals and magazines. Irving teaches in the Creative Writing Program and the Initiative on Race and Resilience at the University of Notre Dame.
PRAISE FOR THE ISLANDS
Finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, Hurston/Wright Legacy Award 2023 Nominee, 2023 Soctiabank/Giller Prize Longlist, NPR 2022 Favorite Book of the Year, A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice,
The Millions, ‘A Most Anticipated Book of the Year’
"[An] electric collection . . . The collection teaches us what kinds of respites can be found in diaspora—fleeting, begrudging, but real nonetheless." —Brenda Peynado, The New York Times Book Review
"An expansive collection . . . For many of the characters, finding their place in the world, where they will be accepted and truly assimilate, is the running theme of their lives—the quintessential immigrant story, no matter where and when in time. I love this new voice giving life to Caribbean stories." —Keishel Williams, A NPR Best Book of the Year
"Immigration and assimilation are potent themes in novelist Dionne Irving's first collection of stories . . . From a mother at a posh school tasked with bringing food to International Day to a couple fleeing San Francisco, these tales from the 1950s to today, from Jamaica and Panama to the U.S and beyond, are written in accessible, warm prose that captivates the reader." —Zibby Owens, Good Morning America
“[A] penetrating collection . . . In lucid prose, Irving depicts her characters’ chilly shocks over unexpected gaps in intimacy with their loved ones as they work to fit into non-immigrant Black spaces, making for stories that are both class-conscious and richly atmospheric. Irving’s inviting combination of subjects and style heralds a welcome new voice.” —Publishers Weekly
"[A] powerful debut short story collection." —Alison S. Cohn and Ariana Marsh, Harper's Bazaar
“Dionne Irving’s groundbreaking debut collection is as insightful as it is unflinching. At times humorous and at times heartbreaking, The Islands illuminates the complex history and current condition of the far-flung Jamaican diaspora, bringing it to the page as it’s never before been seen. Cultures collide between and within households, between and within characters, making for compelling stories about identity and belonging. An unforgettable read and a balm for anyone still searching for home.” —Jonathon Escoffery, author of If I Survive You
“The stories in The Islands are darkly comic, raw, and boldly propulsive. Irving is attentive to the inner landscapes of the women who leave the Island in search of a place where they can be distinctly themselves, unmediated by the legacies of colonialism. The Islands is a radiant, at times surreal, and complex meditation on identity and the tragic absurdity of the search for home.” —Azareen Van der Vliet Oloomi, author of Savage Tongues
“By turns mordant and poignant, Dionne Irving’s The Islands is a deeply moving exploration of diaspora. Her dazzling cast of characters search for home and belonging. Incisive and impressive.” —Vanessa Hua, author of Forbidden City
QUINT
Dionne Irving’s fascinating novel begins as an exploration of the ways in which innocents can be exploited, perverted, and victimized by rampant commercial exploitation. From there the story broadens and deepens to become a poignant and ambitious meditation on the human condition itself, particularly as it relates to our relationship with love or its absence. Quint is a compelling read and Dionne Irving is a writer on the rise.
--Wally Lamb, author of I Know This Much Is True