Spill Simmer Falter Wither

Spill Simmer Falter Wither is a contemporary novel by Sara Baume. First published in 2015, it tells the story of a lonely man and the outcast dog he finds companionship with. The book received rave reviews upon publication, and Baume was heralded as a major new voice in contemporary fiction. The novel won the 2015 Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize and the 2016 Kate O’Brien Award. Baume is an Irish novelist who received a Literary Fellowship from the Lannan Foundation in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She participated in the International Writing Program’s Fall Residency at the University of Iowa in 2015. Spill Simmer Falter Witheris her debut novel.

The protagonist is a man called Ray. He’s fifty-seven and very depressed. He often feels lonely and isolated, and he doesn’t have anyone who cares about him. When he walks down the street, he feels like no one wants to notice him, like he’s a dark spot on someone else’s day. Readers learn very little about Ray’s background and whether anything in his life caused him to feel this way.

Baume deliberately keeps much of Ray hidden so that the revelations we do learn are more poignant and forceful. She portrays what it’s like to live a deeply lonely life where your past doesn’t matter because no one is interested in getting to know you, and where it seems you’re too old to start over.



One Tuesday, Ray walks into town as usual when he stumbles across an advert in a shop window. The advert is for adopting a dog called One Eye, a mongrel who’s aggressive and difficult to look after. The advert specifically asks for someone who doesn’t have young children or any other pets. Ray thinks One Eye could be the perfect companion for him.

Ray adopts One Eye. At first, Ray finds it difficult having a companion around, but he likes the fact that One Eye can’t talk or understand him. He doesn’t feel like he must make conversation or that he’s boring One Eye, which is how he feels when he talks to another person. One Eye isn’t vicious toward him and is instead happy to have company.

Ray occasionally reflects on the state of his rundown house and how little money he has. He worries that he can’t provide a home for One Eye, but Ray doesn’t want to let him go. One Eye doesn’t want to leave, either. For once, Ray understands what it feels like to be loved unconditionally.



Ray’s main problem is that he refuses to confront whatever happened with his family in the past. He seems traumatized and unwilling to remember anything. He always runs from his problems and pushes memories away before they can upset him. This is reflected in how he behaves with One Eye.

They’re on a walk one day when One Eye attacks another dog. A young child gets caught up in the fight. Instead of dealing with the issue, Ray flees the scene with One Eye in his car. The pair sleep in the back of the car as Ray evades the authorities. He can’t face losing One Eye, which is what will happen if the police find them.

Ray spends much ofSpill Simmer Falter Wither on the run with One Eye. The more he runs, the more the memories of his past catch up with him, but he keeps avoiding them. He’s at a loose end, and he doesn’t know what to do with his life since he can’t go home. He knows that this isn’t much of a life for One Eye, either. Ray acknowledges that he’s being selfish and that One Eye is also just a product of his life circumstances—he attacked the dog because he’s only ever known loneliness and fear in his short life.



Ray tries to imagine what One Eye’s life was like in detail. He conjures up all sorts of realities but realizes he can never know the truth, which mirrors how readers will never fully understand Ray himself. Ray doesn’t romanticize his situation or tell himself that it will all work out in the end.

Ultimately, Ray doesn’t believe in religion or miracles, and he knows that at this point, there’s not a soul in the world who knows or cares what’s happening to him. He spends a year with One Eye, which gives him the strength to carry on. However, the ending of Spill Simmer Falter Wither has two interpretations—one tragic and one hopeful.

Ray lets One Eye out of the car. He drives himself and the car into the river. One Eye runs away. If read literally, Ray commits suicide and One Eye must find a new life. But if read metaphorically, Ray doesn’t die but instead lets go of his past, which ultimately frees them both. Critics are undecided as to which interpretation Baume intended.