Homesickness
- Downloads：3489
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-07 08:52:50
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Colin Barrett
- ISBN：1787333817
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
From the prize-winning author of YOUNG SKINS， comes HOMESICKNESS - a quietly caustic， startlingly beautiful and wonderfully wry new short story collection。
'A mesmerisingly powerful book， full of the strangeness and beauty of life' Sally Rooney
'Addictive， stylish and violently funny。。。 An outstanding collection' Kevin Barry
In these eight stories， Barrett takes us back to the barren backwaters of County Mayo， via Toronto， and illuminates the lives of outcasts， misfits and malcontents with an eye for the abrupt and absurd。 A quiet night in the neighbourhood pub is shattered by the arrival of a sword wielding fugitive。 A funeral party teeters on the edge of this world and the next， as ghosts won't simply lay in wake。 A shooting sees an everyday call-out lead a policewoman to confront the banality of her own existence。
A true follow-up to his electrifying debut collection， HOMESICKNESS marks Colin Barrett out as our most brilliantly original and captivating storyteller。
'A mesmerisingly powerful book， full of the strangeness and beauty of life' Sally Rooney
'Addictive， stylish and violently funny。。。 An outstanding collection' Kevin Barry
In these eight stories， Barrett takes us back to the barren backwaters of County Mayo， via Toronto， and illuminates the lives of outcasts， misfits and malcontents with an eye for the abrupt and absurd。 A quiet night in the neighbourhood pub is shattered by the arrival of a sword wielding fugitive。 A funeral party teeters on the edge of this world and the next， as ghosts won't simply lay in wake。 A shooting sees an everyday call-out lead a policewoman to confront the banality of her own existence。
A true follow-up to his electrifying debut collection， HOMESICKNESS marks Colin Barrett out as our most brilliantly original and captivating storyteller。
Reviews
Enid Wray
，
I quite enjoyed this collection of stories - and I got it read just in the proverbial knick of time… it is going to expire off my device at the end of the day today！The first note I made to myself - at the end of the first page！ - was that the sentences are mouthfuls - long and convoluted - with almost archaic word choices… that nobody speaks or thinks like this。 Only to then realise that these stories - minding for one - are set in Ireland。 Light bulb moment。 Sure enough my brain adapted and I I quite enjoyed this collection of stories - and I got it read just in the proverbial knick of time… it is going to expire off my device at the end of the day today！The first note I made to myself - at the end of the first page！ - was that the sentences are mouthfuls - long and convoluted - with almost archaic word choices… that nobody speaks or thinks like this。 Only to then realise that these stories - minding for one - are set in Ireland。 Light bulb moment。 Sure enough my brain adapted and I got into the rhythm of the language and all was good from that point on。The stories are interesting explorations on the meaning of home， considering the 5 W’s and the how of it all。 Each one entirely unique unto itself， we are presented with a most interesting - collected - cast of characters， conditions， situations and circumstances。 From the first story - in the tradition of a classic whodunit - to the last - where a young couple struggle to figure out just what they are to each other - the stories invite the reader to enter into the world under consideration。 Wryly， darkly， comic， this is definitely a collection well worth reading。Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for a digital ARC。 。。。more
Russell George
，
I enjoyed his first collection， Young Skins， and this was great as well。 There’s a certain ‘state of the nation’ feel about it， the characters drawn from different aspects of Irish society， but it didn’t feel overly forced。 The only story which left me slightly cold was the final one， but it probably only stuck out because the others were so good。
Shona Tiger
，
Thank you to NetGalley and to Grove Press for this eARC。This collection will probably appeal a lot more to people with local knowledge， but it’s still an evocative， quick and pleasant enough read。There are eight stories， many of which begin in media res and end without real resolution， so that each feels like a quick study， a snapshot of different lives。 I found this rather less than satisfying—perhaps everyone’s quibble with the short story format—and it brought down my rating of the collection Thank you to NetGalley and to Grove Press for this eARC。This collection will probably appeal a lot more to people with local knowledge， but it’s still an evocative， quick and pleasant enough read。There are eight stories， many of which begin in media res and end without real resolution， so that each feels like a quick study， a snapshot of different lives。 I found this rather less than satisfying—perhaps everyone’s quibble with the short story format—and it brought down my rating of the collection。 I did like that the characters are ordinary people， people like me， that these are stories about working class lives。 My favourite story was the one about the guy who walks into a bar with a sword。CW for suicide， death。Rated: 6/10 。。。more
Michael Burke
，
“That’s the thing about Mayo。 I find it’s very presentable from a distance。 It’s only up close it lets you down。”-- Crean in “A Shooting in Rathreedane” / “Homesickness: Stories。”Colin Barrett is one of the finest short story writers active today。 His first collection， “Young Skins”， won universal praise and there has been much anticipation surrounding “Homesickness: Stories。” Most of the tales here originate where Barrett grew up， Ireland’s County Mayo， and a few come from his current home in T “That’s the thing about Mayo。 I find it’s very presentable from a distance。 It’s only up close it lets you down。”-- Crean in “A Shooting in Rathreedane” / “Homesickness: Stories。”Colin Barrett is one of the finest short story writers active today。 His first collection， “Young Skins”， won universal praise and there has been much anticipation surrounding “Homesickness: Stories。” Most of the tales here originate where Barrett grew up， Ireland’s County Mayo， and a few come from his current home in Toronto– a clue to the “Homesickness” title。We encounter eight stories with authentic characters， most of whom are struggling in some way。 Some are merely stuck in ruts， some are dejected， and there are even a few bargaining with suicide。 Jackie Noonan is a Guard in “A Shooting in Rathreedane” who has， on the surface at least， reconciled herself with taking orders from Crean， a male of the same rank– but a male， after all， so that’s that。 In “The Ways” we come across an orphaned family– youngsters with no idea how to handle what life has crashed down upon them。 Gerry， the youngest one， is consumed with anger issues and escapes to his video game where he “blew everything away that moved。” The story ends with the game repeatedly posing the question “Do you wish to continue？”These passages do not finish with slamming， life altering conclusions， no neatly tied packages。 What we see are scenes of working class people struggling to make due with lives not turning out as planned。 There is often an acceptance of things which can not change and a lot of a “what’cha gonna do？” attitude。 It would be an awful disservice if I am painting this as a depressing， doom and gloom book。 Throughout we see these characters handling the absurdities of their condition with wit and humor。 These are very real， for the most part very likable people and Colin Barrett’s writing keeps us pulling affectionately for them。 It is not hard to understand the “Homesickness” for Mayo the author feels。Thank you to Grove/Atlantic， NetGalley， and Colin Barrett for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 This was a wonderful reading experience… each time I read it。 “The world is full of unaccountable things， if you’re keeping track…And who keeps track？”--"The Silver Coast" / “Homesickness: Stories。” 。。。more
Tove Bjork
，
Like The Low， Shimmering Black Drone and The 10。
Stephanie
，
I won this book as an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway。 I will still give my honest opinion/review of this book。I REALLY wanted to enjoy this book， but I just didn't。 Homesickness is a collection of short stories。 The author is from Ireland， so I don't think I understood a lot of what was said or caught on to it。 The language was just odd， but I'm assuming it's because of that。 I just wanted a bit more from these short stories。 They kind of reminded me of the Netflix show Black Mirror， but there wasn I won this book as an ARC in a Goodreads giveaway。 I will still give my honest opinion/review of this book。I REALLY wanted to enjoy this book， but I just didn't。 Homesickness is a collection of short stories。 The author is from Ireland， so I don't think I understood a lot of what was said or caught on to it。 The language was just odd， but I'm assuming it's because of that。 I just wanted a bit more from these short stories。 They kind of reminded me of the Netflix show Black Mirror， but there wasn't really a lesson to be learned or anything。 The stories just ended。 Although I do like when books leave you to think about it and assume what happened for yourself， these did it in an abrupt way that I just couldn't enjoy。 If you like short stories， you might enjoy this as some of the reviews seem to really like this one， but I just couldn't get into it。 。。。more
Veronica Freeney
，
Barrett is a very talented writer and this is an interesting collection of short stories。 He is good at writing about colourful 'local' characters。 The one story that was set in the U。S was probably my favourite。 The author obviously has a very large vocabulary and I confess to looking up a few of the words I came across and while I normally enjoy learning new words I found it slightly annoying。 Barrett is a very talented writer and this is an interesting collection of short stories。 He is good at writing about colourful 'local' characters。 The one story that was set in the U。S was probably my favourite。 The author obviously has a very large vocabulary and I confess to looking up a few of the words I came across and while I normally enjoy learning new words I found it slightly annoying。 。。。more
John
，
8 more bangers from Barrett
Ted Farrell
，
Beautiful descriptive passages， perfectly authentic west-of-Ireland dialogue but unfortunately， many of the stories did nothing for me。 They made no impression on me， I didn't connect with， or feel for， any of the principal characters。 The exception was the last story， 10， which I thought was very good。 Beautiful descriptive passages， perfectly authentic west-of-Ireland dialogue but unfortunately， many of the stories did nothing for me。 They made no impression on me， I didn't connect with， or feel for， any of the principal characters。 The exception was the last story， 10， which I thought was very good。 。。。more
Peter Boyle
，
I was a fan of Colin Barrett's debut Young Skins， a collection of bleak， arresting vignettes set in the West of Ireland。 The best of them， Calm With Horses， stopped me in my tracks and was later turned into an acclaimed film。 So I was more than keen to read another selection of tales from such a gifted author。The majority of the stories in Homesickness are also set in County Mayo， where Barrett grew up。 With a keen eye for the uncommon beauty of the rural landscape， he describes "cows sitting li I was a fan of Colin Barrett's debut Young Skins， a collection of bleak， arresting vignettes set in the West of Ireland。 The best of them， Calm With Horses， stopped me in my tracks and was later turned into an acclaimed film。 So I was more than keen to read another selection of tales from such a gifted author。The majority of the stories in Homesickness are also set in County Mayo， where Barrett grew up。 With a keen eye for the uncommon beauty of the rural landscape， he describes "cows sitting like shelves of rock in the middle of the fields， absorbing the last of the day's declining rays。" But he also has a neat way of conjuring scenes that are less aesthetically pleasing。 In one story set in an unnamed city， he imagines "the dangling lobe of a used condom snagged on the branch of a bush like a dismal festive decoration。"The subjects of these tales are often disaffected and rudderless。 In The 10， a young man works in his father's car dealership after having his dreams of becoming a professional footballer crushed。 The protagonist of Anhedonia， Here I Come is a struggling poet who creates pornographic cartoons of Disney characters as a way of supplementing his income。 Much like Young Skins， there is plenty of doom and gloom in this book。 The one exception is The Alps， a comic depiction of a typical night in a country pub。Hailing from rural Ireland myself， I recognised many of the characters in this collection。 Barrett displays a deep understanding of what makes these ordinary lives tick - his sentences are lyrical and his dialogue sparkles。 But if I'm being totally honest， I thought Homesickness lacked some of the magic of his debut。 There was no standout story for me here， nothing blew me away this time。 I would still recommend the book， but I think this talented writer can do better， and I'll be first in line to read whatever he does next。 。。。more
Barbara Joan
，
I began reading the first story in this collection， full of hopes， but found myself a bit disappointed by the offhand tone which kept the reader at more of a distance。 But as I kept going， the other stories brought characters that were alive and sometimes lively。 Characters' foibles and motivations were rather more believable and their situations drew me in。 By the end of the book， I was convinced that Colin Barrett really does have the talent to go places。 I've always been fond of Irish writing I began reading the first story in this collection， full of hopes， but found myself a bit disappointed by the offhand tone which kept the reader at more of a distance。 But as I kept going， the other stories brought characters that were alive and sometimes lively。 Characters' foibles and motivations were rather more believable and their situations drew me in。 By the end of the book， I was convinced that Colin Barrett really does have the talent to go places。 I've always been fond of Irish writing in general。 The best of Ireland write with charm and sympathy and often a smile on the side。 I'll certainly be reading more of this writer。 。。。more
Ciaran McGuiggan
，
Young skins is probably in my top 10 books ever written， so I had high hopes for this one。 I enjoyed all of the stories but they weren't particularly memorable。 Might give it a second read at some point in the future。 Young skins is probably in my top 10 books ever written， so I had high hopes for this one。 I enjoyed all of the stories but they weren't particularly memorable。 Might give it a second read at some point in the future。 。。。more
Alan
，
Barrett does it again。 Although the last story （No。 10） seemed to come from an earlier stage in this writer's development， the rest are just scintillating。 A couple about would-be writers （or average ones） coming up against successful ones hit home。 Sometimes he's a bit writer's writer or even writer's writer's writer but who cares， I could read him all the time。 Barrett does it again。 Although the last story （No。 10） seemed to come from an earlier stage in this writer's development， the rest are just scintillating。 A couple about would-be writers （or average ones） coming up against successful ones hit home。 Sometimes he's a bit writer's writer or even writer's writer's writer but who cares， I could read him all the time。 。。。more
T P Kennedy
，
A good collection of stories。 Some I enjoyed more than others。 The later tales seemed stronger than the initial ones。 He's fantastic about capturing slices of day to day life。 I though the final story - the 10 was very memorable。 A good collection of stories。 Some I enjoyed more than others。 The later tales seemed stronger than the initial ones。 He's fantastic about capturing slices of day to day life。 I though the final story - the 10 was very memorable。 。。。more
Mila Candon
，
In this I read my first lockdown story， it’s so strange to see it from another perspective， and to see such a strange time make it into art so concretely
Angela M
，
It’s taken me years to appreciate short stories。 I’ve been fortunate to have discovered some wonderful collections and I even have a shelf for some favorites。 I’m disappointed that this one will not be on that shelf。 I had high hopes given the description。 While I was not satisfied with the open ended finish of most of the eight stories， I liked the language， the vivid picture that is created。 I liked the setting in Ireland， and I liked some of the characters。 For that， a solid three stars。It ap It’s taken me years to appreciate short stories。 I’ve been fortunate to have discovered some wonderful collections and I even have a shelf for some favorites。 I’m disappointed that this one will not be on that shelf。 I had high hopes given the description。 While I was not satisfied with the open ended finish of most of the eight stories， I liked the language， the vivid picture that is created。 I liked the setting in Ireland， and I liked some of the characters。 For that， a solid three stars。It appears that I’m an outlier here since most of the reviews are very positive。 Anyone considering this should read those reviews。 I received a copy of this book from Grove Press through Edelweiss。 。。。more
Lee
，
The latter half much stronger than the former， for this reader。 A couple of 5-star stories at least。 Best piece: probably Anhedonia， Here I Come。
Sarah
，
3。5 rounded upColin Barrett's debut Young Skins received a lot of praise from GR reviewers whose views I trust， so I was excited to dive into his sophomore collection。 It took me a little while to get into the swing of the wring style， but there is some exceedingly good writing in here。 I think where I struggled with Homesickness is that often the stories have slightly ambiguous endings or lack conclusion， and in some cases I wanted a bit more pretext。 On reflection （and after reading quite a fe 3。5 rounded upColin Barrett's debut Young Skins received a lot of praise from GR reviewers whose views I trust， so I was excited to dive into his sophomore collection。 It took me a little while to get into the swing of the wring style， but there is some exceedingly good writing in here。 I think where I struggled with Homesickness is that often the stories have slightly ambiguous endings or lack conclusion， and in some cases I wanted a bit more pretext。 On reflection （and after reading quite a few other reviews online） I appreciate that this is definitely more just my personal preference and that Barrett is a talent to watch。 Readers who enjoyed Pure Gold: Stories and Kevin Barry will definitely find something to enjoy here。Thank you Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for the advance copy， which was provided in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lucsbooks
，
Homesickness grabbed my attention with its synopsis but I started it with a good feeling because I’ve rarely been disappointed by Irish authors or short stories collections。 More than a fun or frustrating time， this was a book that stayed with me after I finished it and I’m sure it will remain on my mind for a very long time。Each short story follows a different set of characters who never touch each other’s lives but they all either reside or hail from Mayo County。 It was easy for me to immerse Homesickness grabbed my attention with its synopsis but I started it with a good feeling because I’ve rarely been disappointed by Irish authors or short stories collections。 More than a fun or frustrating time， this was a book that stayed with me after I finished it and I’m sure it will remain on my mind for a very long time。Each short story follows a different set of characters who never touch each other’s lives but they all either reside or hail from Mayo County。 It was easy for me to immerse myself in each one of these tales， no matter if I liked its people or not because Colin wrote some of the most complex and human characters ever， able to completely flesh them out into people we recognize from our own lives in only a few pages and moments。 This was not a book about a big tragedy in search of a hero or a miracle waiting for a taker: the reader simply gets a window of a few hours or days into a group of people going about their days and lives， sometimes being productive， others not so much。When I told people about this book， they answered with “oh， so it’s a book about nothing” which I do not agree with。 This is a book about all the small annoyances and pleasures that make up ordinary， unique lives and it’s amazing that that is something worth writing about and even more wonderful that Colin Barrett is a writer talented enough to make the reader see that。The writing was beautiful， I really enjoyed how real the character felt and I’m sure I’ll be reading more books by this author in the future。Thank you to Jonathan Cape and Penguin Random House for sending me a proof。 。。。more
fatma
，
Based on the short story collections that I've read， what I've to come to expect from a typical short story is a discrete narrative， a kind of novel in miniature。 That is to say， most of the short stories I've encountered have been more or less like polished gems， very much self-contained in their little short-story packages。 Where such stories are polished gems， though， Barrett's are like rocks chipped out of some surface， rough and jagged and imperfect in the way that all organic things are。 T Based on the short story collections that I've read， what I've to come to expect from a typical short story is a discrete narrative， a kind of novel in miniature。 That is to say， most of the short stories I've encountered have been more or less like polished gems， very much self-contained in their little short-story packages。 Where such stories are polished gems， though， Barrett's are like rocks chipped out of some surface， rough and jagged and imperfect in the way that all organic things are。 They're stories that feel ongoing rather than discrete， not always going where you expect them to， and not always giving you what you want， either。 In Barrett's hands， though， that's not at all a drawback。 Barrett's stories are not really interested in giving you a nice， clean narrative with a delineated beginning， middle， and end， but rather in dropping you into the lives of their characters and seeing what happens。 In "The Ways，" three siblings who have recently lost both their parents to cancer go about their lives; in "Anhedonia， Here I Come，" a struggling poet mired in his work attempts to deal with his various frustrations over it; in "The Alps，" the patrons of a club encounter a young man who walks in with a sword。 They're stories that， for the most part， don't have any flashy or grandiose moments--in fact a lot of them actively lean towards the mundane--but in every one of them there is a tautness， a dramatic tension that holds the story upright and keeps you wanting to keep reading。 Unlike the typical short story I'm used to reading， Barrett's don't all end with a moment that clinches the point of the story， or come with some kind of critical passage that's the key to unlocking the thematic focus of the story。 That's not to say that these stories are pointless， or that they're devoid of any important moments--because of course they have a point， and of course they have important moments; it's just that those are all woven into the various circumstances that these characters find themselves in。And let me just say， these stories are so propulsive， so intensely readable。 I think a big part of this is because they're very much built around narratives where things happen: people go places， do things， meet other people， talk to them， etc。 Characters think about things， but they also do things， and the "doing" part is what really spurs the "thinking" part of these stories on。 （I don't know how to describe this in a way that doesn't sound trite--don't literally all stories feature people thinking and doing things？--but IT'S TRUE， OKAY。） It would be impossible to review this collection without talking about Barrett's writing， because it's just stellar。 Colin Barrett's writing feels like a photo with the contrast turned up: everything stark and punchy and evocative。 It's so sensorily rich， all the details just pop。 I highlighted a lot of descriptions， but here are some of my favourites:"At the far end of Lorna's table an elderly woman was supping on a bowl of vegetable soup the colour and consistency of phlegm。 The woman was eating with great involvedness。 As she brought each tremulous spoonful to her lips her features contracted in an expression of anticipatory excruciation。" "Bobby stared at his teeth， which were neatly aligned and all the same， toothpaste-ad hue。 He appeared to be nothing more than a nondescriptly handsome wodge of heteronormative generica， tidily styleless in a sweater and chinos。""Steven Davitt， the lad at the rear of this pack， was such a specimen。 A comely six-foot string of piss， faintly stooped， with shale eyes darting beneath a matted heap of curly black fringe。 He shied from looking her way， of course。 In the middle was one of the Bruitt boys， the scanty lichen of an unthriving moustache clinging to his lip。""It was only gone two in the afternoon， but the sky was already so grey it was like being on the moon， the light a kind of exhausted residue。 To their right coursed the Moy， dark as stout and in murderous spate; to their left high conifers stood like rows of coats on coat racks。" Barrett is funny， too， and his sense of humour shines through in a lot of these stories。 Sometimes the humour comes in the form of wry or witty comments， and sometimes in the form of cutting comebacks （sibling dynamics in particular are so well-portrayed here）。 "The Alps" actually made me laugh out loud at one point， so absurd and absolutely wild it was but still surprisingly moving。 Favourite short story is easily "The Ways。" Other favourites include "The Alps，" "The Low， Shimmering Black Drone，" and "Anhedonia， Here I Come。" I liked all the other ones， too; the only story that I didn't really get was "The Silver Coast，" though I feel like it would definitely benefit from a reread。As you've probably gathered already， this was a different kind of short story collection than I'm used to reading， but I absolutely loved it。 Thank you so much to Grove Atlantic for providing me with an e-ARC of this via NetGalley！ 。。。more
Leo
，
Witty， warm， edgy， occasionally a little surreal， these stories are brilliant distillations of life， characters captured in little sips of Uisce Beatha。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Homesickness
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Homesickness&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Homesickness&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0