WINNER OF IRISH BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE NERO BOOK AWARDS 2023
SHORTLISTED FOR THE WRITERS' PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024
ONE OF SARAH JESSICA PARKER'S BEST BOOKS OF 2023
Book of the Year 2023 according to New York Times, New Yorker, The Sunday Times, The Economist, Observer, Guardian, Washington Post, Lit Hub, TIME magazine, Irish Times, The Oldie, Daily Mail, i Paper, Independent, The Standard, The Times, Kirkus, Daily Express, City A.M.
'A tragicomic triumph. You won't read a sadder, truer, funnier novel this year' Guardian
The Barnes family are in trouble. Until recently they ran the biggest business in town, now they're teetering on the brink of bankruptcy - and that's just the start of their problems. Dickie and Imelda's marriage is hanging by a thread; straight-A student Cass is careening off the rails; PJ is hopelessly in debt to the school bully. Meanwhile the ghosts of old mistakes are rising out of the past to meet them, but everyone's too wrapped up in the present to see the danger looming . . .
'Generous, immersive, sharp-witted and devastating; the sort of novel that becomes a friend for life' Financial Times
'Paul Murray [is] the undisputed reigning champion of epic Irish tragicomedy' Spectator
'An instant classic' Washington Post
'[An] astute, remorselessly funny novel' Daily Mirror
'A wagyu steak of a novel . . . A classic in the mode of The Corrections' The Times
Paul Murray, an inventive Irish writer, has created a deliciously spiralling novel with four distinct character voices. Both hilarious and tragic at the same time, the story tells of a dysfunctional well-to-do family who reside in an Irish village. With the family business teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, both the parents and their two teen children are striving to find meaning in the face of loss and disappointments.
This beautifully written book—completely insightful and reflective of its awkward and unfulfilled four characters—is chock full of drama and humour as well as denial and heartbreak. A must-read!