The Stinging Fly's latest success story.Mary Costello

Declan Meade strikes me as someone who does not get easily excited, but he is cleary enthused about Mary Costelloe's new book, and rightly so.If you buy one book of short stories this year , treat yourself to this one.
There was great excitement in both London and Dublin last week at the news that The China Factory by Mary Costello, published by The Stinging Fly, has been nominated for The Guardian First Book Award. The short story collection, published to critical acclaim in May of this year, is one of only six fiction titles amongst the longlist of eleven books that have been selected – alongside titles from major publishers such as Virago and Fourth Estate.
Learning of the book’s inclusion in this prestigious longlist Mary Costello said, “It’s wonderful to get this kind of news – and especially with a book of short stories. I did get a little thrill seeing the words ‘Irish short stories’ in there among the novels and non-fiction.”
The China Factory features twelve haunting stories, as Mary Costello precisely examines the perils and passions of everyday life and relationships and, with startling insight, casts a light on the darkest corners of the human heart.