Faber & Faber

Cover image for Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi

Parasol Against the Axe by Helen Oyeyemi: ‘How come every time I look at this book it’s become another book?!’  

I knew I wouldn’t be in for a straightforward piece of linear narrative when I was pitched Helen Oyeyemi’s Parasol Against the Axe but I hadn’t realised that her adopted home city is Prague, the narrator of her new novel which sees a hen party descend on the city. Hardly an unusual event except that […]

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Cover image for Open Up by Thomas Morris

Open Up by Thomas Morris: Tales of lost boys and seahorses

Regular readers may have noticed that when reviewing books by Irish writers, I often mention they contribute to The Stinging Fly, a Dublin-based biannual magazine which publishes short fiction. From Wendy Erskine to Nicole Flattery, Kevin Barry to Louise Kennedy whose brilliant Trespasses was shortlisted for this year’s Women’s Prize for Fiction, their contributors are

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Cover image for Groundskeeping by Lee Cole

Groundskeeping by Lee Cole: ‘Isn’t that what fiction is, though? Sanctioned lying?’  

This is the third novel in as many weeks I’ve read with a writing theme although it’s entirely different from either Antoine Wilson’s Mouth to Mouth or Andrew Lipstein’s Last Resort. It was part of my attraction to Lee Cole’s Groundskeeping but if I’m honest it was that lovely jacket that first snagged my attention.

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Cover image for Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan: ‘To get the best out of people, you must always treat them well’

It’s a mystery to me why I’ve not read anything by Claire Keegan before given my predilection for Irish writing, particularly as Cathy over at 746Books has spoken so highly of her work. Small Things Like These is the briefest of novellas, a mere 124 pages with a good deal of white space thrown in

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