Now here’s something nice. The Daily Telegraph – Britain’s biggest-selling paper and a pretty iconic name around the world – has included Shiver the Whole Night Through in their list of the Best YA Novels of the Year. And their writer Rebecca Hawkes – clearly a woman of impeccable taste – has given it a thoroughly good review. I trust the Telegraph folks will indulge me in throwing it up here:
“Just finished Darragh McManus’s Shiver The Whole Night Through, which is now in our YA Books of the year. Part horror, part supernatural romance, Darragh McManus’s first YA novel (the author has previously written for adults) is a dark, enjoyably gruesome read. At the heart of the tale is 17-year-old bullying victim Aidan. Aidan is planning to commit suicide – but local girl Sláine gets there first, crawling out into the forest to die of exposure. A few nights later, an icy message appears on Aidan’s window: “I didn’t kill myself”. McManus’s writing is fresh and pacy, but perhaps the best thing of all about his book is its powerful evocative of a freezing, snow-swept Irish town. Everything from the garlic chips to the slang feels sharply real, while the way in which local history relating to the Irish famine is blended with modern-day action makes for a satisfyingly layered mystery. The author’s inclusion of an atmospheric Spotify playlist is also an interesting bonus.”
Thank you VERY much.
Darragh McManus, author and journalist 
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