The year was... last year, and I was seeing the latest volume in Faber & Faber's series of new Irish writing anthologies all across Ireland (at least, all the bookstores in the cities I visited)... so I got it. And now I've read it. It was pretty good!
Overall, this is a very high-quality (if young, in spirit and most of its authorship) anthology showcasing both established New Irish Writing writers together with some newer rising stars and debut authors. If you're looking to get a flavor of what New Irish Writing is all about, I'd steer you towards Granta Issue #135, but if you want to get a feel for where Irish Writing wants to go next... this is it.
Granted, not all the stories were to my taste (as its bound to happen in every anthology), but all were at least interesting, and some were fabulous.
Here's a list of my favorites, with a mini-review to tempt you into checking them out.
1. How I fell in love with the well-documented life of Alexander Whelan by Yan Ge
At first, this long-titled tale of a young woman discovering the life of an almost stranger through social media seemed like a typical millennial pseudo-deep indulgence. And yet in execution this story reflects not only on social media but legacy, connection, and race in contemporary Ireland. It has stayed with me more than I thought, and I can't wait to reread it.
2. The Swimmers by Paul McVeigh
I had NO idea this was going to be so disturbing when I picked it up, but as I began to piece it all together disgust crept up my arms and settled in my core. Saying what it is about would be spoiling it, but it deals with abuse and childhood, so you might want to wait to pick it up until you can stomach it (but do, eventually; it's brilliant).
3. Pillars by Jan Carson
The idea of a mysterious technological/esoteric object inserting itself into our everyday lives is a pretty popular concept in strange contemporary short stories (see Jamie Quattro's "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Pavement" and Kelly Link's "The New Boyfriend", and also probably something in Ottessa Moshfegh's Homesick for Another World that I don't currently remember), but if it's done well, then you can't really go wrong. And to change it up, this one's pretty optimistic. It's about a woman getting a pillar (a kind of life-coach) by accident, and trying to get her life together. But it's also about the stigma around mental health and the challenges of adult life. Great comfort read!
4. The Adminicle Exists by Eimear McBride
Top-notch Eimear McBride writing (immediate, chaotic, ambitiously trying to mirror the texture of reality) applied to a succinct but effective story about an abusive relationship. A great place to start with McBride if a full-length novel seems too intimidating.
5. Jack's Return Home by Adrian McKinty
Here's the thing. I did the unwise thing by reading this collection in order of author-preference and then title-sounding-preference, thus the latter stories were bound to be a tad disappointing. Which is why I lucked out by finishing with this intense noir story about a daughter trying not to follow her dad's steps, even when everyone around it is pushing her towards the life. McKinty is a famous crime writer–not my genre, so I had never read him before, but I might just give him a chance after this success.
6. Feather by Nicole Flattery
This is a bit of a freaky story, an eerie whirlwind where the telling might surpass the actual facts in strangeness. A woman gets Simon, a companion. This is all I'll say.
7. The Lexicon of Babies by Sinéad Gleeson
After enjoying her essay collection, I was curious about Gleeson's fiction... and, girl, was I blown away by the unassuming bizarreness of this story. Basically, women begin to birth babies in the shape of letters (literally—try to imagine that and not shudder). Chaos ensues. How can you not be curious?
8. Who's Dead McCarthy? by Kevin Barry
In my eyes Kevin Barry can do no wrong. He represents all that Irish literary heritage combined with this generation of writers' desire to move forward over new horizons, and it's GREAT. All of his writing is quietly ambitious, often darkly hilarious, and this story about a guy who always knows who has just died is no exception. If you like it, check out Dark Lies the Island, which I loved from start to finish, and perhaps There are Little Kingdoms (which I haven't read but is supposed to be fantastic).
9. Gérard by Lisa McInerney
Talk about an anthology that starts and ends with a bang! The last piece in this book is a straightforward story about a group of friends who speculate about one of their friend's alleged relationship with a famous actor. It's a light read, yet underlying the humor and quirkiness, there is sharp commentary about gossip, friendship dynamics, and other people's expectations of their loved one's lives.
There are plenty of other stories worth your time ("Transactions" and "Stretch Marks" come to mind), but these are my top picks. I hope I have encouraged you to order Being Various from your local indie store that still delivers!
No hay comentarios
Publicar un comentario