Books
by Sebastian Barry
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A Long Long Way |
Maybe even better than his later The Secret Scripture (bwl 63) and On Canaan's Side (bwl 65) Irish Willie Dunne joins the British army in 1914. On leave from the trenches, he finds Dublin in turmoil over independence and his profound loyalties are shaken. His closest comrade is revealed as having betrayed his one sexual infidelity to his beloved. On one side life-saving camaraderie, on the other progressive loss of certainties, love, life. Heartbreaking but with the prefect poise of Greek tragedy.
(Annabel Bedini - bwl 68 Spring 2013) |
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Annie Dunne |
Set in rural 1950s Ireland over one summer where ageing Annie Dunne lives simply on a farm with her cousin Sarah. Her young nephew and niece are placed in their care for the summer, and their arrival together with the brooding presence of Billy Kerr threaten all she has and challenge all her beliefs. The writing, prose and description are beautiful, but it is Annie herself, a complex character who is unforgettable and with whom all your sympathies lie.
(Sue Pratt - bwl 96 Spring 2020) |
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Days Without End |
17-year old Thomas McNulty, an Irish émigré, stows away on a ship bound for America where he befriends and falls in love with a part-Indian boy, John Cole. They survive as cross-dressers dancing in seedy nightclubs until they enlist in the Cavalry, become immersed in the Indian and Civil Wars and then take under their wing the little daughter of an Indian Chief. Barry's lyrical prose held me captive from one page to the next. He never disappoints.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 99 Winter 2021) |
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Days Without End |
Two young boys fall in love in 19th century America and dodge poverty together via cross-dressing theatricals, fighting the Indians and in the civil war and settling to farming. The language amazed me from the first sentence and I loved the fact that the complexities and nuances of the politics of the time come through subtly, sometimes subliminally. I learned a great deal and even got through the battle scenes without skimming!
(Victoria Grey-Edwards - bwl 109 Summer 2023) |
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Old God's Time |
Retired policeman, Tom Kettle, is relishing his retirement until his peace is shattered by two ex-colleagues banging on his door. Now with a decades old case reopened, he must revisit long-buried memories of his and his beloved wife's past and confront what exactly happened one fateful day. A heartbreaking, mesmerising novel where memory plays tricks and nothing is quite as it seems.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 109 Summer 2023) |
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On Canaan's Side |
Through the elusive medium of memory, grieving 89 year-old Lilly Bere, recalls her life from her flight after WW I from Dublin to America (her Canaan's side) up to the recent death of her beloved grandson. A novel of love, war, family ties and friendship, told in Barry's lilting prose, illuminating how the past, and the side you are perceived to be on, forever haunts the Irish. Another treasure from the author of The Secret Scriptures (bwl 53).
(Jenny Baker - bwl 65 Summer 2012) |
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On Canaan's Side |
Lost and mourning her grandson the elderly Lilly reviews her long life set against the background of events in Ireland and America from WW I until Iraq. The narrative unfolds at a measured pace, the prose beautiful, the characters compelling and the sense of place and time vividly depicted. Overcoming every hardship and loss Lilly is a survivor until the aftermath of war finally overwhelms her.
(Sue Pratt - bwl 92 Spring 2019) |
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The Secret Scripture |
A mental hospital in modern-day Ireland: Roseanne McNulty, nearing 100, begins a secret journal relating the events which through ignorance and religious bigotry led to her incarceration. Meanwhile, her psychiatrist's attempts to uncover her history reveal contradictions in her story illustrating how memory perhaps unwittingly sifts and refracts the truth. Lyrically written, grim and shocking, it is also an affirmation of the power of hope and love. I cannot recommend it too highly.
*Costa Book of the Year 2008
(Jenny Baker - bwl 53 September 2009) |
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The Temporary Gentleman |
In his latest book, Barry continues to explore the lives of the Irish McNulty family who are at the centre of The Secret Scripture (bwl 53) and The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty (bwl 57). Written in his lilting prose, this time the narrator is Jack, Eneas's brother, haunted by his memories of the past. Fans of Barry won't be disappointed but if you read this one first, the others are a must.
(Jenny Baker - bwl 75 Winter 2015) |
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The Whereabouts of Eneas McNulty |
Born at the wrong time, in the wrong place - Sligo - during the Irish/British conflict, Eneas McNulty (the fugitive father of Roseanne's child in The Secret Scripture* - bwl 53) wanders through the narrative, lost and in mourning for his home, his family and his love. Written in an ornate style that bewitches the reader like the impact of a recitation of Irish folk songs or poetry, it is a both a fascinating read and an eye-opener.
*Editor's Note: Interestingly, this novel was written 10 years earlier than The Secret Scripture
(Ange Guttierez Dewar - bwl 57 Summer 2010) |
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