The Irish Goodbye: Micro-Memoirs

by Beth Ann Fennelly

A new, genre–defying volume that explores family, marriage, motherhood, place and coming of age with singular wit and emotional clarity.


What can we learn from an ordinary life observed with extraordinary skill? In The Irish Goodbye, Beth Ann Fennelly writes of the often–overlooked moments that shape a life, whether moving or perplexing or troubling or gladdening.


These micro–memoirs—some as short as a sentence, some longer in form–dignify the diminutive through the act of attention. Fennelly explores her roles as a friend, wife, mother, and daughter, documenting a brush with an old flame or the devastating death of her sister in crystalline, precise sentences.


Full of unexpected wit, The Irish Goodbye is a record of the interstitial interactions—encounters with strangers, quirky observations, unexpected flights of fancy—that make up a richly lived life. With keen insight and nimble prose, Fennelly invites readers to share her affirming worldview—one in which even our smallest interactions are rife with possibility.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Memoir

144 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 24, 2026

About the author

Beth Ann Fennelly is the author of Tender Hooks: Poems and Great with Child: Letters to a Young Mother . A professor of English at the University of Mississippi, Fennelly lives with her husband and children in Oxford, Mississippi.

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve also read Fennelly’s previous collection of miniature autobiographical essays, Heating & Cooling. She takes the same approach as in flash fiction: some of these 45 pieces are as short as one sentence, remarking on life’s irony, poignancy or brevity. Again and again she loops back to her sister’s untimely death (the title reference: “without farewells, you slipped out the back door of the party of your life”); other major topics are her mother’s worsening dementia, her happy marriage, her continuing 28-year-old friendships with her college roommates, the pandemic, and her ageing body. Every so often, Fennelly experiments with third- or second-person narration, as when she recalls making a perfect gin and tonic for Tim O’Brien. One of the most in-depth pieces revisits a lonely stint teaching in Czechoslovakia in the early 1990s. Returning to the town recently, she is astounded that so many recognize her and that a time she experienced as bleak is the stuff of others’ fond memories. I also loved the long piece that closes the collection, “Dear Viewer of My Naked Body,” about being one of the 12 people in Oxford, Mississippi to pose nude for a painter in oils. Brilliant last phrase: “Enjoy the bunions.”

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is so good. Just perfect. I think I felt every emotion possible while reading.

[Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

While at a cute indie bookstore in St. George (shout out to The Book Bungalow), I purchased a box set of popular books for my daughter’s 18th birthday. Because of that, I was offered my choice from a bookshelf of advance reader copies not yet released to the public. I chose wisely. I’ve always said that memoirs are my favorite genre, but I think “micro-memoirs” are the best…short, disjointed life insights that I can easily dive into and then put down for weeks. Thoroughly enjoyed this one.

[Dea · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. This is a must-read. Truly stunning, and hits on the full range of human emotion.

Beth Ann Fennelly's The Irish Goodbye takes a micro-memoir approach to telling one's life, with very short to medium-length experiences tied together. It is not presented in chronological or thematic order, but one starts to figure it out as they go along. Almost like piecing together a coworker's life through brief coffee chats and occasional long commutes. I found that this gives the memoir a more organic and genuine feel, but I can see how it could be disorienting for some.

The topics are wide-ranging, including a beautiful depiction of a loving marriage alongside a love that never took flight, an unexpected loss of a sibling, but lifelong friendships that bloomed between college roommates, dementia at various stages in multiple family members, with laugh-out-loud comic relief thrown in at surprising times to decrease the tension.

It was so hard to put this book down (or to stop thinking about it when I did), and even after finishing it, there is still so much to unpack. 5/5 read, looking forward to seeing this hit the shelves.

Thank you, NetGalley and W.W. Norton and Company, for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Wendy Greenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was delicious immersing myself in curated snippets of the author's life, opinions, anxieties all jumbled up. The everyday and the extraordinary side by side. For me, it felt like getting to know Beth Ann without having to progress through the gnarly stages of a new friendship.

This is a very specific type of episodic autobiography crafted and honed by many of my favourite writers. I am thinking (or those that instantly come to mind) David Sedaris, Rebecca Front, Nora Ephron, Jenny Diski, Nigel Slater and, whilst Deborah Levy uses continuity differently, all have the same vibe of noticing and capturing moments in their lives without stringing them together.

Keen to pick up the author's poetry now we are "friended"!
With thanks to #NetGalley and #WWNorton for the opportunity to read and review

[Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth Ann Fennelly is by far one of the most impressive authors I have "met" through the written word! "The Irish Goodbye: Micro-Memoirs" has introduced me to an incredibly gifted and insightful person whose writing radiates her humanity in a powerful and unforgettable style. Her messages validate and celebrate the years that we have lived and the mileage that our human bodies have accrued. Every word seems carefully chosen. Each sentence appears crafted to become indelibly imprinted on a reader's mind and heart. I laughed. I cried. I felt joy. I grieved. I pondered. I understood. She reached me in countless ways with each and every micro-memoir. Now I want to share this precious gem of a book with everyone I know!

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the kind of thoughtful book you leave on the night stand in your guest room or hand to a friend sitting in a waiting room. Author Beth Ann Fennelly calls the format a "micro-memoir." It's a collection of observations taken on her life, some as short as a sentence and others brief essays of several pages. Many focus on the untimely and surprising death of her older sister, and her mother's descent into Alzheimer's disease -- not exactly humorous content but delivered gently. The most upbeat and one of the most impactful sections deals with her ongoing relationship with her college roommate group (they are all now middle-aged), which presents an inspiring view of the value of friendship. It's a quick, enjoyable and at times emotional reading experience.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth Ann Fennelly has written an exquisite collection of what she calls micro-memoirs. Some entries are a number of pages in length, where others may be only one sentence. Fennelly is a poet, and her careful use of words is apparent in these memoirs. Her writing brought me to tears more than once- she talks of her mother-in-law Betty’s battle with Alzheimer’s. My mother Betty died from the disease.
The death of her sister as a young woman devastated her- “How without farewells you slipped out the back door of the party of your life, O my sister.” My own daughter died suddenly at age 32. So many parallels, and such a gift this book was to me.

Thank you to Book Browse for an advance copy of this book.

[Leslie Nipkow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beth Ann Fennelly's "The Irish Goodbye" is called "micro-memoirs," but it is one experience, one story, told in pieces of different lengths, some as short as a single --- hard-hitting --- sentence. Fennelly is a poet, and knows how to wield words with power. She doesn't waste a single one.

This reader picked up the book this morning and didn't get out of her chair until she'd reached the last page. (Okay, once, to let the dogs out.)

But reading the book in one sitting doesn't mean it's light on substance or drama. I will be thinking about this one for a long time.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beth Ann Fennelly's voice is strong and singular. The micro-memoir format could feel disjointed, but here is used to beautiful episodic effect. This is my first introduction to Fennelly's writing and I find her prose lucid and evocative. I imagine her students are well-served by an author/teacher with such a command of language and emotion.

NetGalley provided me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Stacy Berger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took my time with this slim volume of micro-memoirs. Some entries consist of of as little as one sentence, and a few I would consider as almost short stories. Fennelly's prose is precise and lovely, and her words stay with you. She explores themes of love, friendship, grief, loneliness, and vulnerability - ultimately what is means to be human.

This is the first work I have read by Beth Ann Fennelly, and I it won't be my last.

[Pari · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was sad when this book ended, I could have kept on reading Beth Ann Fennelly's micro memoirs about doing life in all its ups and downs, agonies and ecstasies, with all our life partners - close friends, bio-fam, chosen-fam, spouse, and the occasional person who accidentally becomes a part of our story. Must, MUST read!

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book takes you from laughter to tears as we uncover glimpes of Beth Ann Fennelly's life on each page. A repeated theme is Beth Ann being haunted by the death of her sister. Memories of days gone by, peeks into a marriage, and thoughts coming out in each chapter giving us a look at a life well lived.

[Sharon Layburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This absorbing collection of raw, honest, and soul bearing autobiographical essays feels like catching up with a good friend who holds nothing back, sharing moments of a life well lived and well loved.


With thanks to W. W. Norton & Company for providing this ARC.

[Lorri Steinbacher]

Read in prepub from publisher. Due our Feb 2026.

I love Fennelly's micro memoir format. She gets to the heart of things with just the right amount of text and subtext.

[Amy Brown (amylikestoreadalot) · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love her micro memoirs! This is the second volume and I love her stories!

[Mayleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of 2025. 5+ stars. Loved her writing. Each sentence was perfection. Highly recommend.