Old God's Time

BySebastian Barry

Release Date: 2023-03-21
Genre: Fiction & Literature

Score: 4

From 110 Ratings

Description

LONGLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE

Named a Best Book of 2023 by the New Yorker, Washington Post, NPR, and Kirkus Reviews

“You should be reading Sebastian Barry. [He] has a special understanding of the human heart.” —The Atlantic

“A prose stylist of near-miraculous skill. . . Barry reaches deep into the messenger bag of mystery fiction and turns the whole business inside out . . . marvelous.” —The Washington Post

“An unforgettable novel from one of our finest writers.” —Douglas Stuart, author of Shuggie Bain

From the five-time Booker Prize nominee and 2018-2021 Laureate for Irish Fiction, a virtuosic, profound novel exploring love, memory, grief, and long-buried secrets

Recently retired policeman Tom Kettle is settling into the quiet of his new home, a lean-to annexed to a Victorian castle overlooking the Irish Sea. For months he has barely seen a soul, catching only glimpses of his eccentric landlord and a nervous young mother who has moved in next door. Occasionally, fond memories return of his family: his beloved wife June and their two children, Winnie and Joe. But when two former colleagues turn up at his door with questions about a decades-old case, one which Tom never quite came to terms with, he finds himself pulled into the darkest currents of his past.

A beautiful, haunting novel in which nothing is quite as it seems, Old God's Time is about what we live through, what we live with, and what may survive of us.

Reviews

Loved this book
5
By AGtheAD
This novel draws the reader into the life of the protagonist. Through twists and turns, the fascinating and heartbreaking truth is revealed. Compelling.
Too many words, too little story.
3
By TFGADA
Perhaps I missed the authors intent, but for me this was very wordy with little to show for it. About halfway through, I realized that this might’ve been a poor choice for my next read, but I persevered through to the end hoping it might change direction. It did not.

Affinity for a particular book, like a piece of art, is a matter of personal choice. This one didn’t suit me but that doesn’t mean that others might or might not find it to be an enjoyable read.