Lee Langley

Lacrimae rerum: That Old Country Music, by Kevin Barry, reviewed

Barry’s latest short stories contain fewer laughs than usual as he goes deep into Ireland’s wild places to hear the hidden music

Kevin Barry. Credit: Getty Images 
issue 17 October 2020

Some of my happiest fiction-reading hours have been spent in the company of Kevin Barry: two short-story collections, both prize-winners, and three captivating novels. First, the baroque mayhem of City of Bohane, characters exploding on the page flashing knives and fancy footwear, its vernacular veering from Clockwork Orange argot to Joycean dazzle.

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