The Place of Atmosphere in Novels,

with Luke Francis Beirne

 - a WordTravels Fall event

Novels are built with many elements: character, setting, plot, style and tone. One is more elusive and mysterious; enigmatic, even: Atmosphere.

In writing, atmosphere refers to the general feeling or mood a work carries. It evokes certain emotional reactions from the reader. Atmosphere is built through a layering and mixing of all other elements.

Luke Francis Beirne’s most recent book, Saints Rest, is a neo-noir novella set in a gritty, caricaturized version of uptown Saint John. He often says that uptown Saint John is the true main character of Saints Rest, not Frank Cain. That’s because the uptown core has a very particular atmosphere to it, which he tried to reflect, capture and caricaturize in his book.

Participants will be encouraged to discuss, ask questions and provide feedback.

About Luke

Luke Francis Beirne was born in Ireland and lives on Wolastoqey land in Saint John, New Brunswick.

His first novel, Foxhunt, was a finalist for the 2022 Foreword INDIES award in General Fiction and was selected as one of The Miramichi Reader’s best novels of 2022.

His second novel, Blacklion, was selected by CBC as one of the novels to read in 2023 and shortlisted by the Writer’s Federation of New Brunswick for the 2023 Mrs. Dunsters Fiction Award.

His third novel, Saints Rest, released in  2025. It was featured in Maritime [EDIT] as an ‘Editor’s Choice.’

His writing has been stylistically compared to Hammett, Greene, Forsyth, Hemingway and le Carre.”

The Venue

The Write Cup Cafe and Bookstore is located in Market Square, in uptown Saint John. It is a comfortable place to enjoy a coffee, buy books, participate in open mics, workshops and various other events.