Sarah Tolmie Boeken

Antoni Van Leeuwenhoek, a quiet linen draper in Delft, has discovered a new world: the world of the little animals, or animalcules, that he sees through his simple microscopes. These tiny creatures are everywhere, even inside us. But who will believe him? Not his wife, not his neighbors, not his fellow merchants-- only his friend Reinier De Graaf, a medical doctor. Then he meets an itinerant goose girl at the market who lives surrounded by tiny, invisible voices. Are these the animalcules also? Leeuwenhoek and the girl form a curious alliance, and gradually the lives of the little animals infiltrate everything around them: Leeuwenhoek's cloth business, the art of his friend Johannes Vermeer, the nascent sex trade, and people's religious certainties. But Leeuwenhoek also needs to cement his reputation as a natural philosopher, and for that he needs the Royal Society of London-- a daunting challenge, indeed, for a Dutch draper who can't communicate in Latin.

Dark, mournful, and beautiful, Sarah Tolmie's The Fourth Island is a moving and unforgettable story of life and death on the hidden Irish island of Inis Caillte. Huddled in the sea off the coast of Ireland is a fourth Aran Island, a secret island peopled by the lost, findable only in moments of despair. Whether drowned at sea, trampled by Cromwell's soldiers, or exiled for clinging to the dead, no outsiders reach the island without giving in to dark emotion. Time and again, The Fourth Island weaves a hypnotic pattern with its prose, presaging doom before walking back through the sweet and sour moments of lives not yet lost. It beautifully melds the certainty of loss with the joys of living, drawing readers under like the tide.

Filled with the magic and darkened whispers of a people on the cusp of major cultural change, this tale follows a Norse trader on his travels through Central Asia, where he barters for horses and returns with much, much more.

The isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic brought out the ritualist in many of us. In this collection of contemporary weird short fiction, a variety of different persons and beings try to fill up their days in varying states of isolation and mystery, real or imaginary. An angel outlives the Apparat that used to employ him; a deity complains about no longer feeling seen; a museum curator living alone begins to inexplicably alter; a medievalist suffering from vision loss gets into a strange relationship with the ghost of the codicologist M. R. James; enigmatic objects begin to work themselves out of the ground by the grave of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, prompting scholarly speculation. Sacraments For the Unfit is a series of vignettes about the transformations that can happen while staying in place --Tolmie, Sarah

Exploring the concept of confirmation bias, this collection of poems delves into the human tendency to seek out information that reinforces existing beliefs. Through vivid imagery and thought-provoking language, the poems challenge readers to reflect on their perceptions of truth and reality. Each piece invites introspection, encouraging a deeper understanding of how biases shape our views and interactions with the world. The work serves as a poignant reminder of the complexities of belief and the narratives we construct around them.

An accomplished author and associate professor, Sarah Tolmie explores themes of identity and experience in her works. Her novel, The Stone Boatman, delves into rich narratives, while her short story collection, NoFood, presents intriguing explorations of human relationships and societal norms. Tolmie's writing showcases her unique voice and perspective, making her contributions to literature noteworthy.

A satirical look at the euphemistic practices of dying today.