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Let's Dance
I’ve seen how the clouds look when viewed from above, stretched pink and gold-tinged for miles and miles and miles. I’ve seen a single cumulus cloud against a blue sky from my seat outside a café below, thrumming still in upness. I’ve seen the making of The Matrix bonus feature on the DVD, Keanu Reeves being lifted in his harness, Harvey Weinstein smiling and slapping backs on his way to somewhere else. I’ve seen dirty clothes pile up in a laundry basket, and hairs in the drain. I’ve seen smoke rise from the bonnet of my car.
In her latest collection of dark, hilarious and provocative short stories, Lucy Sweeney Byrne explores women on the brink – of love, of joy, of disaster – with her signature wit, insight and daring.
A newlywed grapples with the chasm that has opened up between her and her husband on the subject of children. A young mother tries to eke out a life for her family on an island named for a dead man, unaware of the psychic toll that is taken on her by the land and sea. And a woman at a drug-fuelled house party ruminates on the dark past she shares with one of the guests.
In Let’s Dance, Lucy Sweeney Byrne, in her signature hypnotic prose, explores subjects such as physicality, identity and disillusionment. Utilising forms ranging from flash fiction to novella, Let’s Dance is a glittering display of fiction’s ability to probe, startle and entertain.
In her latest collection of dark, hilarious and provocative short stories, Lucy Sweeney Byrne explores women on the brink – of love, of joy, of disaster – with her signature wit, insight and daring.
A newlywed grapples with the chasm that has opened up between her and her husband on the subject of children. A young mother tries to eke out a life for her family on an island named for a dead man, unaware of the psychic toll that is taken on her by the land and sea. And a woman at a drug-fuelled house party ruminates on the dark past she shares with one of the guests.
In Let’s Dance, Lucy Sweeney Byrne, in her signature hypnotic prose, explores subjects such as physicality, identity and disillusionment. Utilising forms ranging from flash fiction to novella, Let’s Dance is a glittering display of fiction’s ability to probe, startle and entertain.
- GenresIrish Literature
190 pages, Paperback
Published October 3, 2024
3 people are currently reading
57 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
April 2, 2025
I feel SICK.
This book left such a bad taste in my mouth in the best best best ways - I don't think I've read a feminist fiction collection as deeply sickening as this. Byrne covers so many aspects of female marginalisation AND makes it entirely personal, too. I really enjoyed how she talked about addiction and depression (how they feel, how they can look similar, how they are related), and what different methods of oppression can look like. Also the specific settings of Dublin and the Islands!! Big fan.
I think my criticisms of this book are a little nitpicky, and maybe just comes from personal preference (I would bump it up to 3.5 stars if I could). I felt like the writing sometimes needed an editor to pick through it - I felt the style to be very 2014 tumblr quote-esque at times, and it took me out of the stories a bit. I also felt like every main character in these stories were the same woman - I don't think they had anything distinguishing between them - and if that's what it was meant to be like then I admit my faults, but I felt like there was so much more potential in the characters themselves. I'm also quite sceptical of this kind of manifesto writing as well (maybe I shouldn't be?) because they have a tendency to paint every man in the world as a bad creature, which I don't agree with... I think Byrne had a tendency to do that in some of her stories.
BUT my favourites in the collection:
Let's Dance: LOVED the stream of consciousness parts of this story, and the dissociation of the main character. Very sensitive and affirming portrayal of trauma responses and depression following events in girlhood and teenage years. The MC's anxiety (bordering on fear) around the man who SA'd her is genuinely scary and so horrible (especially her reflections on it, just so grim). There's a moment at the end where she talks about waiting for death, and about not wanting to move from the very position she is in. Perfect!
Echolocations: Love love love. Super uncomfortable the whole time but this is how you feel as a woman in the real world, surprise!! Also the descriptions of Dublin and nostalgia were gorgeous, and I would come back to it very often if it wasn't ruined by that one man.
An Fear Marbh: This one had me completely hooked the whole time, waiting for SOMEBODY to explode. I love an exploration of female isolation and motherhood.
To Cure A Body: Grim, disgusting. Love it. Totally unrealistic (so you can read it as one long extended metaphor or as a magical realism sort of novel - I read it as both). Byrne talks about how depression can manifest itself in women when they aren't taken seriously and I think it'd be a terrible story for anybody to read if they are deeply depressed (it romanticises self harm and suicide slightly), but overall a pretty accurate and beautiful depiction of how depression can feel!
Land of Honey: Horrible and gruesome. Real grimy.
Creds to Cara for lending me this, I hope you know I will be needing book recs from you forever <33
This book left such a bad taste in my mouth in the best best best ways - I don't think I've read a feminist fiction collection as deeply sickening as this. Byrne covers so many aspects of female marginalisation AND makes it entirely personal, too. I really enjoyed how she talked about addiction and depression (how they feel, how they can look similar, how they are related), and what different methods of oppression can look like. Also the specific settings of Dublin and the Islands!! Big fan.
I think my criticisms of this book are a little nitpicky, and maybe just comes from personal preference (I would bump it up to 3.5 stars if I could). I felt like the writing sometimes needed an editor to pick through it - I felt the style to be very 2014 tumblr quote-esque at times, and it took me out of the stories a bit. I also felt like every main character in these stories were the same woman - I don't think they had anything distinguishing between them - and if that's what it was meant to be like then I admit my faults, but I felt like there was so much more potential in the characters themselves. I'm also quite sceptical of this kind of manifesto writing as well (maybe I shouldn't be?) because they have a tendency to paint every man in the world as a bad creature, which I don't agree with... I think Byrne had a tendency to do that in some of her stories.
BUT my favourites in the collection:
Let's Dance: LOVED the stream of consciousness parts of this story, and the dissociation of the main character. Very sensitive and affirming portrayal of trauma responses and depression following events in girlhood and teenage years. The MC's anxiety (bordering on fear) around the man who SA'd her is genuinely scary and so horrible (especially her reflections on it, just so grim). There's a moment at the end where she talks about waiting for death, and about not wanting to move from the very position she is in. Perfect!
Echolocations: Love love love. Super uncomfortable the whole time but this is how you feel as a woman in the real world, surprise!! Also the descriptions of Dublin and nostalgia were gorgeous, and I would come back to it very often if it wasn't ruined by that one man.
An Fear Marbh: This one had me completely hooked the whole time, waiting for SOMEBODY to explode. I love an exploration of female isolation and motherhood.
To Cure A Body: Grim, disgusting. Love it. Totally unrealistic (so you can read it as one long extended metaphor or as a magical realism sort of novel - I read it as both). Byrne talks about how depression can manifest itself in women when they aren't taken seriously and I think it'd be a terrible story for anybody to read if they are deeply depressed (it romanticises self harm and suicide slightly), but overall a pretty accurate and beautiful depiction of how depression can feel!
Land of Honey: Horrible and gruesome. Real grimy.
Creds to Cara for lending me this, I hope you know I will be needing book recs from you forever <33
January 11, 2025
Absolutely incredible - evocative, grotesque, empowering and addictive!
Genuinely couldn’t read parts of them, made me shiver, and then others I wanted to memorise and reread immediately. It represents a specific experience of Ireland and modern existence so so painfully accurately, at times it was almost scary how I understood each incredibly niche situation - no original thoughts! I think the representation of our inner thoughts and monologue was so wonderful.
Literally addictive, love her writing and will be reading more 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Genuinely couldn’t read parts of them, made me shiver, and then others I wanted to memorise and reread immediately. It represents a specific experience of Ireland and modern existence so so painfully accurately, at times it was almost scary how I understood each incredibly niche situation - no original thoughts! I think the representation of our inner thoughts and monologue was so wonderful.
Literally addictive, love her writing and will be reading more 🔥🔥🔥🔥
June 24, 2025
The stories were hit or miss really. I really enjoyed some but others bored me. I enjoyed the reminiscent descriptions of Dublin and I liked the fact that the stories offered a snapshot into many different lives - but all those of a woman suffering in some way. I preferred the dialogue where offered but found it was few and far between.
November 13, 2024
Bright sometimes searingly honest and horrible short stories that crackle and burn in your mind's eye. Night Classes, Let's Dance and the vivid list of seen things in Meantimes stick out. There are some tough ones I could not read but overall I loved this book.
June 3, 2025
Some really beautiful moments, some really weird stories, not sure if short stories are for me
July 30, 2025
4.5 ⭐️
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews