City of Bohane | 
pickIt‘s an accomplishment to grow old in Bohane; chances are you‘re caught up in the city‘s violent, deadly current just by living there. To live, you have to be a rare combo of ruthless and smart. Survivors like Logan, Ol Boy, Gant, and Girly see the ways out—swing your knife at the leader or stay hidden, especially if you miss. The lucky people get to reminisce—an act that shows you had your shining moment and lived to talk about it.
The corrupt Bohane is a mash-up of the real city of Limerick, “Mad Max,” and film noir. Set in 2052 when some catastrophe appears to have befallen Bohane (or all of Ireland and Europe) the gorgeous prose is saturated with snatches of old films and songs (very Joycean) and the opening recalls Saturday Night Fever, In multicultural Bohane (where the Chinese-origin Chings have been local for generations), slang from America abounds. Very cool
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“Mouth of teeth on him like a vandalised graveyard but we all have our crosses.”
pickThis review is for Barry‘s Short Story “Deer Season” day 17 in th Short Story Advent Calendar. Barry‘s story follows a 17 year old school girl who wants to lose her virginity by the time she is 18. In the summer she fixates upon an older man- poor and lean, lanky and kind. She lures him- like a deer- and has him. She returns to school and he is “run out”. She goes to find him at his empty cabin and feels “the new soft rhythm of her power”.
pickThe best book I‘ve read all year. Now that I‘ve finished it (on audio) I‘m very tempted to get a paper copy and read it all again. Ireland as you‘ve never seen it before ...
Started to listen to this on audio, and nearly gave up after 10 minutes as the language was so difficult - Irish dialect combined with quite a few phrases that I suspect haven‘t been invented yet. But now I‘ve got my ear in I‘m loving it ...
I would love to see this novel transformed into a film but I wonder if the powerful language could be captured visually. Barry's powers of description are vivid, witty, intelligent and a little off-centre. In the right hands, this would make an amazing film #thisshouldbeamovie #seasonsreading2016
TBT love these chapter titles! Epic read "Albino, some called him, others knew him as the Long Fella: he ran the Hartnett Fancy... Mouth on him like a vandalised graveyard..."
TBT The Keep hung his bar cloth on its nail Tommie couldnt hide from his face the feeling that was current in the room, the leanings & nuance of the talk that swirled there Logan used him always as a gauge for the city's mood Bohane cud b a tricky read. It had the name of an insular & contrary place
