White Spirits

by David Butler

A father who walked out on his family years before returns for his daughter’s wedding;
Traumatized by a cot death, a woman appreciates the isolation of lockdown;
A group of teenagers resolves to take action against a local refugee centre;
A ‘trophy wife’ must decide how to deal with the hostility of her stepson;
A loner who was bullied in school develops a sinister online identity.


In his latest collection of eighteen stories, by turns edgy and darkly humorous, award-winning author David Butler examines the many aspects of what it means to be Irish in a world where personal identity is increasingly under pressure.

146 pages, Paperback

Published March 20, 2025

About the author

Since returning to Ireland after ten years of wandering, David Butler has worked as Education Officer at the James Joyce Centre, and has lectured in Spanish Literature at TCD, Essex University, Carlow College and UCD. His first novel The Last European was published in 2005 (Wynkin de Worde), while his debut poetry collection Via Crucis (Doghouse) appeared in 2011. A second novel The Judas Kiss (New Island,2012) was favourably reviewed in the Sunday Times by Alan Murdoch, who in particular noted Butler's talent for characterisation. No Greater Love, a collection of his short stories, was launched in London (Ward Wood) in 2013. His story 'Taylor Keith' won the Fish short story award 2014. His most recent novel, City of Dis, (New Island), was shortlisted for the Kerry Group Irish Novel of the Year 2015. A second poetry collection, All the Barbaric Glass' (Doire Press) was published in 2017. A second short story collection, Fugitive, is forthcoming from Arlen House, and a third poetry collection, Liffey Sequence, from Doire Press in 2021. He lives in Bray with wife and author Tanya Farrelly.

Reviews

[JULIAN JUDGE · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a first story titled 'The Witch' this collection of short stories cooks a disturbing meal of modern Ireland. They are edgy, macabre with the thrill of dark humor and above all full of threatened menace.
Enjoy your read!

[Elaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Butler's latest collection of short stories are dark and diverse. His characters involve people from different social backgrounds, with various lifetime experiences Butler gives us vivid individuals, both young and old, resourceful humans, driven by colourful exploits.

In "Shoes" we meet Tommy Fagan & Fintan Burke struggling with day-to-day issues, from shoes to housing These characters are deeply damaged and Butler's sizzling prose evokes guttural emotions alongside the growling and gruff rawness of what is really lurking beneath the surface.

The eponymous "White Spirits" story is full of teenage swagger, (reminiscent of Young Skins by Colin Barrett) they think they are making bold statements by their actions but when things turn sour, and Fitz "bottles it", the visceral cries of "that inhuman howl" will stay with you long after the story ends.

"Exquisite Corpse" which deals with the complexities of human relationships, marriage, jealousy and unfulfilled (artistic) dreams, deserves to be reread and pondered on to fully understand the author's message.

This is Butler's talent; leading you in, laying the breadcrumbs, the black humour, the sharpness of prose and the chilling realisation that there is much more going on - in a Hemingwayesque style. The stories are compelling, entertaining and unpredictable in their weaving.

[Catherine Sadlier · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved every one of these stories, hard to choose a favourite. They were sharp and well-paced, and the language, vocabulary, metaphors etc. was totally engaging and fresh. I will be reading them again.

[Jonathan Cosgrove · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still reading my way through White Spirits but I absolutely love the collection so far. I haven't hit a story I didn't enjoy yet! Every story has either won a prize or been shortlisted and it's providing lots inspiration for trying to formulate my own 'competition length' stories.
Really fun stuff!

[David Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The five stars are based upon the following opinions of fellow writers:

'With a poet’s flair for language, David Butler in ‘White Spirits’ gives the reader a collection of pairs: shame and love; poverty and success; the collision of pagan and holy Ireland. In these upfront stories, the local and colloquial rule tangled relationships, played out against a beautifully painted backdrop of ramshackle huts, stone farms, and basement flats. Menace and emotion reign in these vivid, realistic portraits of Ireland then and now.’
- Nuala O’Connor, author of NORA and Seaborne


‘Gorgeous. These stories have the precision and craft of the best of the Irish grandees: Frank O'Connor, Mary Lavin et al; and the vibrancy, urgency and immediacy of the best of David Butler’s contemporaries. I love how much he leaves in the interstices, how he reveals the vast unspoken histories that can exist within families, between lovers, between friends, with such economy and nuance. His language is at once exactingly rendered and thrillingly fresh. Any of these could be a whole novel, yet they feel perfectly weighted and contained. Tremendous storytelling.’
- Donal Ryan, author of Heart, Be at Peace


‘If you crossed Colin Barrett with Kevin Barry, you'd come up with David Butler's brand of realist gothic - stories that are charged, disturbing, melancholic.’
- Mary Morrissy, author of Penelope Unbound

[Andrew Verlaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

The short story ain't dead, if this latest collection by David Butler is anything to go by. Like a drawing of a wall that creates a sense of the whole from a few bricks, Butler is deft at creating characters and tales that are fleshed out from little more than a wry observation here and a recognisable snatch of dialogue there.

The title short story is a good example of the overall feel of the collection - it has a story that could be taken from the morning's headlines (a group of youths decide to take drastic action against a building slated for accommodating asylum seekers), with crisp, convincing dialogue (the arguments between the characters about whether or not to go through with their plot ring true) and a strong sense of the failings of human schemes (unsurprisingly, not all goes to plan for the budding vigilantes).

As someone who is returning to learning the Irish language, I was also excited to see one story that is presented in English and as Gaeilge side-by-side.

A consistently enjoyable and engaging collection - I tore through it.

[Derville Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Storytelling at its most enjoyable with compelling characters, sparkling dialogue and poetic prose. Butler is a keen observer of the strengths, frailties and peculiarities of people, and draws deft sketches of them facing real life dilemmas. A mother coming to terms with a cot death, a stepmother dealing with a damaged and belligerent stepson, and man whose wife has left and taken all his hopes and dreams with her. These stories are tender and tough — edgy with an undercurrent of wry wit. A very enjoyable read and a masterclass in the short story form.

[Eimear · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent collection of award winning short stories. Well worth buying. A very enjoyable read full of poetic language and humour. Stories that you remember long after you've finished reading them. A great collection for anyone interested in modern Irish story-telling.

[Dara Kavanagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars based on this thorough review in Books Ireland:

https://booksirelandmagazine.com/whit...

[Ronnie Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really well written, this book is engaging in it's plots and entertaining in it's descriptions. I am really enjoying reading it.