The Weight of a Human Heart

A dazzling and inventive story collection from the author of Their Brilliant Careers. A series of graphs illustrates the disintegration of a marriage, step by excruciating step. A literary spat - and an affair - play out in the book review section of a national newspaper. The heartbreaking story of a Rwandan boy is hidden within his English exam paper. A young girl learns her mother's disturbing secrets through the broken key on a typewriter. Ranging from Australia to Africa to China and back again, The Weight of a Human Heart is a collection that turns the rules of storytelling on their head. 'Joyfully original... magnetic... a brilliant collection' The Independent 'Daring, intelligent, witty, full of new discoveries and exhilarations' The Guardian

Ryan O'Neill was born in Glasgow in 1975 and lived in Africa, Europe and Asia before settling in Australia. His short story collection The Weight of a Human Heart was shortlisted for the 2012 Queensland Literary Awards. His debut novel Their Brilliant Careers, first published in Australia in 2016, won the Australian PM's Prize for Fiction and was shortlisted for the Miles Franklin Literary Award. He lives in Sydney.