Among my grandmother’s copies of the Jalna books, this is the only volume (so far, at least) which splits upon opening. Most of the bindings are well and evenly worn, so that the volumes fall open comfortably at almost any spot, whether closer to the front or to the
These are the kinds of stories which expose the imperfections which lie beneath a carefully smoothed comforter. Honest characterization is key, Lisa McInerney explains to Marie Gethins,: "There is absolutely no element or aspect of their characters’ lives a writer should shy away from presenting, no matter how unpleasant.
There's some Irish in me and some on my bookshelves, too, but this March, with Reading Ireland hosted by Cathy at 746 Books and memories of reading Irish short stories with Mel at The Reading Life, I went for a library browse to add to the volumes I'd pulled from my shelves.
In interview with Harriet Gilbert, when meeting to discuss her landmark work The Country Girls as part of the BBC's World Book Club, Edna O'Brien speaks about the relationship in that novel between a young woman and a married man referred to as Mr. Gentleman. Little, Brown and Company, 2015
The dedication to Padma Viswanathan's second novel: For the lost, and for the living. Random House of Canada, 2014 Therein, the reader haa a clue, for The Ever After of Ashwin Rao is equally preoccupied with losing and living. The novel opens in 2004, on the precipice of the trial which
