Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles

“What if Nancy Drew grew up and lived in a bizarrely enigmatic film-noir world? That question is answered in this novel, where we meet Finley: a discerning, meticulous investigator working at a nameless agency… . Kira Henehan weaves a delicious plot of self-discovery as if in a dreamlike state. Each new development reveals a change in Finley’s own existence and resets the very world of the novel itself.”

“Kira Henehan has reached into the wheezing carcass of the traditional detective story and relieved it of all its bones and logic. The result is a novel unlike anything I’ve read before: hilarious, severe, baffling, and sometimes so far over my head that I can only see a distant glow.”

“A very intriguing novel filled with insistent rhythms and syntactical playfulness. Kira Henehan’s precision and obvious delight with language make the voice of this novel wonderful company. One is reminded of certain European writers like Beckett or Bernhard, but Henehan has also made something—funny, ominous—of her own.”

“Orion You Came and You Took All My Marbles is not just smashingly titled, it is also beautifully, madly, electrically alive. Beware of its puppets. Watch out for Murphy. Keep track of The Lamb. Consider Uppal. Question Finley. Here is worthy work for the fingers, the heart, the eyes, the mind.”

“Awesome … Much of the novel’s playful charm comes from Kira Henehan’s unwillingness to explain what, exactly, Finley is up to, but the very funny sleuthing will keep you reading as the investigation reveals glimpses of Finley’s former past.”

“In playfully measured prose, Kira Henehan’s poignant farce evokes Beckett and her world is as funny and inventive as that of George Saunders, but her bold voice and tenderness make for something entirely original, entertaining, and well worth the read.”