A brilliant and captivating debut, Claire-Louise Bennett's Pond is a strange, beautifully layered work of fiction, from its quirky and contemplative narrator's interior life to the vivid, charming descriptions of rural Irish life. Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this book is its warm invitation to celebrate solitude. Bennett writes as if in a lush, landscaped dream, each story-chapter going forward, circling back and ending in the middle of the protagonist's musings upon her everyday experiences. Pond is utterly original, at turns hilarious and poignant, refreshing and simply delightful.