X-Book

I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning

Already purchased

Click to open directly in the xigxag app.

Standard price shown. Sign in for personalised pricing.

Send as a gift Get in the xigxag app

Added to cart

Continue shopping or head to checkout

View cart
How does xigxag pricing work?

Listen to a sample

What to expect

*NOW A MAJOR FILM STARRING ANTHONY BOYLE, JOE COLE, JAY LYCURGO, DARYL MCCORMACK AND LOLA PETTICREW - RELEASE DATE TO COME*

LONGLISTED FOR THE GORDON BURN PRIZE 2025

'Shows us how to love one another and hold on to what matters most' Tice Cin, author of Keeping the House

'Striking, moving, subtly radical' Guardian

'Confirms Goddard as one of the best writers of our time' Lucia Osborne-Crowley, author of The Lasting Harm

Patrick, Shiv, Rian, Oli and Conor grew up together. They played together, skipped school together, and dreamt of everything they'd do with their lives.

Now they are thirty, and only Rian has made it out of the estate and moved away to another city, but his money doesn't stop him clinging to a vision of the past that is quickly slipping away. Oli is fading by the day, drinking and snorting his way through the endless boredom, while Conor has a baby on the way and a business plan he hopes will change everything. Patrick and Shiv are as in love as ever, but even they are rocked when an old secret opens up new wounds ...

Critics Review

Striking, moving, subtly radical. A multivocal narrative focusing on a working-class community in Birmingham ... reminiscent of Jon McGregor's most successful novels, If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things and Reservoir 13
Earthy, multivocal and accomplished throughout
A virtuosic and devastating exploration of the relationships that bind us, and the places that always call us back. Tender and fierce in turn, Goddard writes about class and friendship with the deftest of touches
One of the most beautiful novels I've read in a very long time, full of rare elegance, sorrow, wit and warmth, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning tells the story of what's left when dreaming feels impossible
What does it mean to claim one another, and to let one another go? Intimate with its surprises, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning has an honesty that shows us how to love one another and hold onto what matters most
This is a novel full of hard material but infused with dignity and originality. The language is swaggering, the character development deeply subtle ... genuinely beautiful
A very affecting novel about working class love, friendship and grief. Bound by kinship and place, Goddard's multiple narrators create a story that is truly communal, demonstrating our interconnectedness and bravely rejecting the idea that the novel form is built to tell the stories of individuals only
An enraging, enthralling and ultimately heart-breaking novel. Written in a bold and inventive style which invokes the panoptic nature of entrenched friendships, it is a story about the ways such friendships can make you whole or can tear you in half
I found these characters and landscapes so achingly real, relatable and deftly, compassionately drawn. Keiran Goddard's is a mind-blowing talent, his writing so beautiful. I can't wait to read everything he ever publishes.
The thing about Keiran Goddard is he'll make you laugh and weep in the same paragraph. This is such a humane, beautiful novel about being from a place you can neither leave nor stay in
This heartfelt, gut-wrenching novel confirms Goddard as one of the best writers of our time. It's as poignant as it is artful, and once you read it, it will never leave you ... an astonishing achievement
As painful as a punch and as tender as the bruise that follows, this is a moving and deftly drawn world of friendship, hardship, grief and love. Goddard writes beautifully about dead-end jobs, wild nights out and corrosive regrets, but he's also utterly convincing on the deep joys of friendship, parenthood and holding close the ones you love. A fresh and searing novel for our times
Extraordinary writing about ordinary people
Kirkus
Tender, violent, affecting ... this book takes real pleasure in language
ipaper
Readable, warm ... a moving read that reflects our world
Morning Star
Melancholy and poetic ... you truly live inside these characters and their worries, hopes and dreams all become yours
Daily Express
Author Keiran Goddard
Narrator George Roberts, Jake Benson, Lucie Shorthouse
Duration 5 hours and 57 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9781405566827
Format Audiobook
Publisher Little, Brown Book Group
Genre Fiction: general and literary
Availability AU, GB, IE

About xigxag

Experience the best audiobooks with xigxag, an innovative and user-friendly audiobook platform designed for seamless discovery, purchase, and enjoyment of your favorite titles. Our flexible pricing model offers bestselling audiobooks for less, providing affordable prices and the best audiobook deals without requiring a subscription. Perfect for gifting, xigxag also features convenient audiobook gift cards and in-app audiobook gifting options.

 

Beyond the listening experience, xigxag stands as an exciting alternative to big tech, embodying a strong commitment to sustainability and ethical practices. As the only B Corp certified UK audiobook service, we ensure a guilt-free listening experience from a leader in audiobook innovation.

 

Effortlessly search audiobooks, access honest audiobook reviews that evaluate both the content and narration, and easily discover hidden gems. Whether you prefer to download or stream top audiobook titles, xigxag provides the best possible listening experience anytime, anywhere, on the UK’s best independent audiobook app. Discover the future of audiobooks today.