No 425 The China Factory by Mary Costello #readingirelandmonth21
I have all Mary Costello’s books but up until now I hadn’t read any of her work. If the quality of the writing in The China Factory is anything to go by, I am in for a treat with her novels. This is a stunning and affecting collection of twelve perfectly crafted stories, all exploring…
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No 426 Dark Lies the Island by Kevin Barry #readingirelandmonth21
Kevin Barry’s Dark Lies the Island is a sharp collection of thirteen tales about the unheroic, the little people for whom success is a far away dream. The best of these stories turn dramatically with a well-placed phrase, causing the reader to stumble and re-evaluate what has gone before. All are written with a vividness,…
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No 445 You Are Not A Stranger Here by Adam Haslett
You Are Not A Stranger Here was Adam Haslett’s debut, written in his early twenties while he was studying law at Yale. For a debut, the maturity and complexity on display here is impressive, coupled with a sensitive and intelligent handling of difficult subjects. Haslett doesn’t put a foot wrong across these nine stories, which…
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No 463 The October Country by Ray Bradbury #ripxv
Ray Bradbury defies categorisation. Best known for his science fiction and fantasy works like Farenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles, my first encounter with his writing was Dandelion Wine, a beautiful and evocative novel of childhood and memory. Yet again he has confounded my expectations with The October Country, his 1955 collection of nineteen macarbe…
No 472 In Persuasion Nation by George Saunders Book 18 of #20booksofsummer20
I am a big fan of George Saunders’ short stories, having really enjoyed Tenth of December and Civilwarland in Bad Decline. In Persuasion Nation is another thematically linked collection which explores a world, somewhat like our own, where consumerism and advertising have taken over and individuality is being crushed in favour of conformity. Split into…
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Irish Short Story Collections to look out for in 2020! #readingirelandmonth20
Cocktail Bar by Norah Hoult #readingirelandmonth20
Hostages by Oisín Fagan #readingirelandmonth20
No 490 The Diviner by Brian Friel #readingirelandmonth20
Brian Friel is known now to the world as one of Ireland’s preeminent playwrights. However, in the mid 1960’s he was more concerned with the short story. It was a brief dalliance as, by 1968, Friel had stopped writing short stories altogether, in favour of writing plays. It is said that Friel found the process…
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