#glennkill

The core of her project was, therefore, the sheep rather than the murder, though the book couldn’t exist without both. “Taking them seriously as sheep was really important,” she told me, as was not imposing human morals onto their perspective. “It was quite important to me that they don't have [our] moral background to work with. They have values, but they're not moral values; they're more like practical values. I find that refreshing, because it takes away a lot of things we take for granted, and it helps me to look at things the way they are or the way they would appear to somebody who doesn't come with all that moral baggage.” Though, of course, she does recognize that a truly realistic novel about the consciousnesses of sheep would be “grass and nothing else.” Fiction writers are allowed some creative embellishment.

In our latest, @morgan-leigh interviewed Leonie Swann, the author of Three Bags Full (originally published in German as Glennkill), aka the source for the film The Sheep Detectives. If you enjoyed the movie this weekend, read (or listen to) this piece—and then read the book! 🐑

Der Schäfer George Glenn wird tot auf seiner Weide aufgefunden, aus seiner Brust ragt ein Spaten. Das ist unschön und sieht nach Fremdeinwirkung aus. Und: Es verlangt Nachforschungen. Also beginnt Miss Maple, der Sache auf den Grund zu gehen. Nein, kein Schreibfehler - nicht die Miss Marple, Agatha Christies kultivierte Lady, interessiert sich für den Fall, sondern das klügste Schaf aus George Glenns Herde.

[Goodreads]

Something is not right with George the shepherd. His sheep have gathered around him outside the cozy Irish village of Glennkill to assess the situation. George has cared for the sheep, reading them books every night, and now he lies pinned to the ground with a spade. His flock, far savvier about the workings of the human mind than your average sheep, sets out to find George’s killer, led by Miss Maple, the smartest sheep in Glennkill (and possibly the world).

Her team of investigators includes Othello, who was rescued from the Dublin Zoo; Mopple the Whale, who is always hungry and remembers everything; and Zora, an existential ewe—just to name a few. Together, the sheep discuss the crime late into the night, and their speculations vary wildly. Determined to unravel the mystery, they embark on furtive missions into the village, where they encounter a hoof-full of two-legged suspects. There’s Ham, the terrifying butcher who smells of death; Rebecca, the secretive village newcomer; and Father Will, a sinister priest the sheep call God.

[Goodreads]

It was incredible, we both laughed and it even made us tear up a little.