Press

What the critics say

The most exciting Irish short story writer of his generation, one whose best work rivals William Trevor and John McGahern. His language is thrilling: Barry has a Martin Amis-style aversion to writing so much as one dull sentence. Talent this raw and natural simply cannot be taught.
- Sunday Times

Kevin Barry’s best short stories are like a spade to the face... Short-story writers are often talented phrasemakers, but only the best ensure each phase is as hardworking as it is attractive... Barry earns comparison with the great and shamefully neglected VS Pritchett, whose short stories also employed pronounced comic means for serious, compassionate ends.
- Guardian

Lingers like the best kind of novel.
- Metro

Reading a short story by Kevin Barry is a bit like listening to a kraut-rock-record from the 1970s. The foundations are built on a solid rhythm. Then every so often, the form veers left-field, unveiling a portal to a world of magic.
- Spectator Blog

Richly rewarding.
- Financial Times

A rhythmic, rural Hiberno-English onslaught, which forces black humour into the bleakest of corners.
- Times Literary Supplement

Extraordinary.
- Sunday Times

[O]ne of the best authors currently in the UK. This collection of short stories shows British penchant for the sublime and the ridiculous at its best.
- Monocle

Barry's work is beautifully crafted, written with pace and depth, and somehow simultaneously heart-warming and scathing.
- Big Issue

Barry is Ireland’s must-read literary author.
- Sunday Business Post Magazine

Still ringing in my ears, months after I read it ... wickedly stylish writing.
- Irish Times

Full to the brim of its hat with fine stories, strong rhythms and well-tuned voices.
- Irish Times

Every line ... brings pleasures and recognitions.
- Irish Times