Northern Ireland’s Past Returns in Jan Carson’s Surreal New Novel

In Few and Far Between, Jan Carson creates a speculative world where a half-realised plan to drain Lough Neagh gave rise to an island chain called the Ark, a refuge for mixed-religion couples during the Troubles. Through the eyes of Alex, a young anthropologist, the narrative jumps between the 1970s upbringing of RJ Connolly’s children and a 2017 return to the islands, exposing the lingering impact of the Omagh bombing, a stalled state inquiry, and Brexit-induced border anxieties.

The novel portrays the Ark’s islands as repositories for forgotten grievances, illegal weapons and even spectral “Almost-Deads” and “Sleepers,” symbolising the region’s unresolved pain. As the government proposes flooding the islands to address toxic algae, characters grapple with the choice between burying the past and confronting it. Carson’s blend of magical realism and satire underscores the fragile peace in Belfast, the persistence of peace walls, and rising anti-immigrant sentiment among some loyalists. The work ultimately asks whether reopening old wounds can ever lead to genuine reconciliation.