Kevin Barry’s deliciously wicked collection Dark Lies the Island delivers on the many reckless promises made by his virtuosic and prizewinning debut novel, City of Bohane. It firmly establishes him as both a world-class word slinger and a masterful storyteller.
Editorial Reviews
“[Kevin Barry] isn't sparing with his powers. Even his throwaway lines are keepers.” ―The New York Times
“He does humor. He does high drama. He even dabbles in horror (of a kind). And he can handle just about any other narrative form you might think of.” ―Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
“Barry's best short stories are like a spade to the face . . . [He] earns comparison with the great and shamefully neglected V. S. Pritchett, whose short stories also employed pronounced comic means for serious, compassionate ends.” ―The Guardian
“Outstanding . . . [These] stories triumph . . . They are funny, sad, troubling, illuminating, often in equal measure.” ―Financial Times
“By the end of a story, Barry has me in full sympathy with someone I might edge away from on the train. His regard for characters big and small and capacity to be funny without playing them for cheap laughs recalls George Saunders.” ―The New York Times Book Review
About the Author
Kevin Barry is the author of the novel City of Bohane, winner of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award, and the story collection There Are Little Kingdoms. He lives in County Sligo, Ireland.
