Owl Song at Dawn

As featured on Radio 4's Woman's Hour


A powerful and touching debut inspired by the author's autistic sister, perfect for fans of Karen Joy Fowler, Nathan Filer and Maggie O'Farrell.


Shortlisted for the Amazon Rising Star Award


Longlisted for the Guardian Not the Booker prize 2016


Hive Rising Writer for 2016


Maeve Maloney is a force to be reckoned with. Despite nearing eighty, she keeps Sea View Lodge just as her parents did during Morecambe's 1950s heyday. But now only her employees and regular guests recognise the tenderness and heartbreak hidden beneath her spikiness.

Until, that is, Vincent shows up. Vincent is the last person Maeve wants to see. He is the only man alive to have known her twin sister, Edie. The nightingale to Maeve's crow, the dawn to Maeve's dusk, Edie would have set her sights on the stage all things being equal. But, from birth, things never were.

If only Maeve could confront the secret past she shares with Vincent, she might finally see what it means to love and be loved a lesson that her exuberant yet inexplicable twin may have been trying to teach her all along.

What Reviewers and Readers Say:



'[A] quirky, moving novel' -- The Daily Mail


'Fresh, poignant and unlike anything else' — Jill Dawson, Whitbread and Orange Prize-shortlisted author


'Tender and unflinching, a beautifully observed novel' — Carys Bray, Costa Prize-shortlisted author


'It crept under my skin and will stay there for a long time' — Emma Henderson, Orange Prize-shortlisted author


'Amazing: fierce, intelligent, compassionate and deeply moving' — Edward Hogan, Desmond Elliot Prize-winning author


'Funny, heartbreaking and truly remarkable' — Susan Barker, New York Times bestselling author


Stylist Magazine Top 'Books to Read on a Staycation'


'Owl Song at Dawn is a book that should go straight onto bestseller and prize-winning lists.' — Byte the Book


'This is a gripping novel by a hugely gifted writer and one that is rich on atmosphere and character study.' — London Grip


'It's been a long while since a book given me physical goose bumps while reading. This was not as a result of horror, or shocks, but because it was so beautifully written from beginning to end.' — Little Bookness Lane


'A heartfelt story about love and acceptance' -- Open Letters Monthly


'What a tour de force. Owl Song At Dawn is, quite simply, an outstanding novel.' — Linda's Book Bag


'Owl Song at Dawn is a truly touching story about family, loss, guilt, friendship and forgiveness, and the charming characters are those that stay with you long beyond the final pages of the book.' — A View from the Balcony


'Owl Song At Dawn is an original and thought-provoking debut that is readable and engaging whilst packing a punch.' — One More Page


'Poignant and rich' -- Litro


'an ultimately uplifting and positive book with life lessons for us all' — Mad House Family Reviews


'Emma Claire Sweeney however has put such a lovely book together that combines grief, loss, love and laughter. I can highly recommend it!' — Butterflyinthesky


'Owl Song at Dawn is remarkable, tender and heart-warming with realistically flawed characters. This is a beautifully written and uplifting novel that teaches compassion and provides life lessons for us all.' — Her Nose Stuck in a Book