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: Memoir, Nonfiction, Essays, Poetry, Biography Memoir, Biography, Audiobook

144 pages, Hardcover

First published 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.

[Monica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a beautiful collection. Honest emotions. Such a clear voice.

[Justin (Bubbas_Bookshelves) · Rating 4 out of 5]

These “micro-memoirs,” as Fennelly coins them, are a true roller coaster of emotions: moving from the loss of her sister, to the mental decline of her mother, to the steady, grounding love of her husband, to the friendships she shared with “The Roomies” in college into adulthood (which was probably my favorite piece), and even to the quiet beauty tucked inside ordinary things like folded oven mitts. Each memoir is brief, but none of them feel small; she manages to capture entire seasons of life in just a few pages. I especially admired how seamlessly she shifts from heartbreak to humor, from grief to gratitude, often within the same piece; there’s something so intimate about it.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this audiobook for Reading Ireland month, only to realize that it didn't fit being set in Ireland or by an Irish Author. I still enjoyed these essays though. In The Irish Goodbye, Beth Ann Fennelly writes of the often–overlooked moments that shape a life, whether moving, perplexing, troubling or gladdening. These micro-memoirs/essays vary in length from a couple of sentences to several paragraphs. She explores her roles as a friend, wife, mother, and daughter. Some are humorous, some touching and some very emotional such as the death of her sister.

This book is made up of what is come to be known as "flash fiction". There are 45 entries in this book, of varying lengths. Some of the topics include her mother's dementia, her marriage, friendships she's had for years, meeting up with an old flame, a stint teaching in Czechoslavakia and visiting there many years later and more. Throughout the book, there is mention of her sister that she lost, the subject behind the title. She has led an interesting life, but also highlighted the everyday minutiae that is often taken for granted. she narrated her own book, which I like as she knows when to add intonation and expression to the story.

[Holly Dyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75// This is my first book by this author, and these are essentially a memoir in essays/poetry. The focal point is Beth Ann Fennelly grieving over the death of her sister, yet she tells stories from a variety of points in her life that deal with her career, marriage, motherhood, family members, aging parents, friendship, etc. Overall, the writing was kind of bizarre but it still worked in the end (?) Many essays would start out in a bizarre way, but I could see the point she was making by the end. Some sections are very short - I’m guessing they were poems, but it’s hard to tell from the audiobook - and I generally enjoyed the longer essays more than the short ones. The author narrates, and I don’t know if I loved her narration. The cadence was pretty slow and uneven, and it almost had me wonder if this was a book of poetry, or if there were structural things she did that she was trying to portray with her voice. There are some structural peculiarities, such as each line starting with the same word like “Say” or “You”, which I think would have been better to read in print. The audiobook does have a bonus chapter which is a wild story, and it makes sense why it wasn’t published in print. Overall, I think I would have enjoyed reading these in print rather than listening to them.

Thanks to WW Norton & Company, Recorded Books, and NetGalley for the Advance Listeners’ Copy.

[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.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting form of short chapters that make up the memoir.

[Camille · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 - I liked her voice and there were some great one liners and stories in here. Overall, it just felt disjointed and lacking a clear through line

[Emily Patterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed Heating and Cooling, Beth Ann Fennelly’s earlier collection of micro-memoirs, but I loved The Irish Goodbye more. Perfect marriage of form and content—both polished and raw, succinct and expansive.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic! So unique and thought provoking. I laughed, my heart ached and I have been reading excerpts non-stop to people for the entirety of this last week (the book is a fast read).

Beth Ann Fennelly knows how to write! She has introduced me to the power of conveying a thought, feeling, moment, lifetime in a single sentence or paragraph.

I will be buying this book for others and sharing it with my family. I can't wait to read more of her work.

[Brooke Heberling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great representation of human experience in bite size storytelling that creates a larger picture. Master class in the gut punch. Relatable, and important. Bravo!

[kate lowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flew through this lovely book in one day. Beautiful stories linking how we love with wisdom, how we love in midlife.

[Emily Shearer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is it about me and books on planes after AWP?? Hearing Beth Ann on npr then getting to hug her neck in a crowded room with 9,998 of our closest mutual friends, then flying out west the next morning and reading these tight little whispery shouty windows into her life - the parts like mine, where she lived in Prague, where no matter how much she loves her husband, she doesn't let him off the hook for his Pictionary claims; where she poses nude (yes, dear goodreads readers of my reviews, I've done it too), where she reunites with the women who make her laugh til she 'bout busts something - and the parts not like mine, thankfully, mercifully not like mine, because my sister is still alive, well, all that makes me get in a way unable to stop crying at the part, well, just read the book and find your own part you can't stop crying at.

[Rob Boylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of the genres that I will read (eg, not new age self help, religious thrillers, romantasy, or good ol’ Jimmy Patterson), memoir is the lowest on the list I will reach for, normally. Especially as a first book from someone. It’s usually reserved for the likes of Keith Richards, or filmmakers nearing the end of their lives. So, a poet somewhere in the middle of her life doesn’t seem like something I would gravitate towards, but the buzz monster grabbed me and took me.

So, I went into this book almost blind, and going into this book blind I wasn’t exactly sure what a micro-memoir was going to be. Essays? Meditations? Brain droppings? Journal entries? Am I going to be reading someone’s LiveJournal? Well, it turned out to be all of that and something different, too: something occasionally small in stature, but deep in emotion; something encompassing all the modes of memoir, ranging from just a couple of words to a few thousand.

In it, Fennelly touches on the death of her sister, her mom’s drift into Alzheimer’s, growing apart from friends, the state of her body, and the time, in the early 90s, when everyone in Poland hated her American guts.

They’re funny, personal, raw, sad, revealing, clearly written by the hand of a poet though there are no poems in the book. The memoirs start out cagey, teasing, almost too vague, especially about her sister. It’s at this point in the book where she doesn’t yet trust us, hasn’t gotten to know us, and is not yet comfortable with us. As she grows into comfort, she slowly becomes unguarded and lays it all out, spills her guts: the dark, the keys to the inside jokes, the messy feelings and the ugly thoughts that crop up, even a decade since her sister’s death. By the end, we find ourselves there with her, now comfortable with us, posing nude for a portrait in the sharp, unflattering Mississippi sun. She’s feeling a bit of nerves, but there's no shame to be found, nor should there be.

[Mayleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

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

[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

[Bookreporter.com Biography & Memoir · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my part of Canada, we don’t generally refer to a surprise ending or unannounced departure as an “Irish goodbye,” so I had no idea how personal Beth Ann Fennelly’s eponymous new micro-memoir collection would be. If she had used terms like “French exit,” “over the bridge,” “ghosting” or “leaving by the cellar door,” I might have had an inkling.

What holds the varied and carefully crafted elements of THE IRISH GOODBYE together turned out to be the sudden and very premature death of a beloved sister. As meaning dawned on me, I seriously considered setting the book aside.

Just over a year ago, only days before Christmas, my “baby” sister went to bed as usual and never woke up. She would never see her 68th birthday. Just over a year before COVID, my husband went for his habitual Saturday afternoon nap and also never woke up. We would never see our 50th wedding anniversary.

In Fennelly’s creative world, sudden-death loss is the ultimate “Irish goodbye.” No advance warnings, no premonitions, no enigmatic pronouncements about faith, hope, despair or even love. Beloved humans here one moment, forever gone the next.

Yet there are many other forms of silent departure in this thing called life, and as I read through nearly four-dozen examples curated from Fennelly’s own experiences, THE IRISH GOODBYE became more and more thoughtfully appealing and felt less and less like reopened wounds.

Fennelly’s collection of micro-memoirs ranges from the almost flippant, throwaway style of her three-sentence opening (a clever husband’s silent response to being overruled in a board game), or a five-word sentence about the body’s long Irish goodbye to youth, to essay-length reflections on deeply affecting topics like teaching English in a country so foreign that hellos barely happened, much less goodbyes.

Along with the haunting thread of her sister’s death, among the most sobering reflections in THE IRISH GOODBYE are Fennelly’s references to losing people through neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s. While their loved ones know the death sentence long in advance, the victims don’t; their own brains betray them from within as memory after memory makes a silent exit.

One of the book’s most powerful pieces centers on Fennelly’s almost anonymous commitment to volunteer at a vast refugee aid warehouse while on a teaching term in Germany. It was a combination of dogged, unrelenting physical work and strict rules of non-involvement that left her drained and emotionally numb. The enormity of the human despair flowing through the place and how victims of forced migration dealt with their fate seemed endless. One day, when her shift was over, she simply left.

Whether it’s the friend who just stops calling, the committee meetings one stops attending, the job you suddenly get up and walk away from, the messages left unanswered, the quiet escape from a party when the host isn’t looking --- Irish goodbyes are everywhere, once you start becoming aware of them.

However, what makes THE IRISH GOODBYE pieces special is Fennelly’s visceral understanding of just how necessary some departures are. Leaving a relationship or situation silently and invisibly no longer feels like a furtive or rude strategy. Whether in laughter, sorrow or a maelstrom of mixed feelings, sometimes it’s the only exit that works.

For a slim volume it was hard going at times, but I’m glad I didn’t send it back and ask for something else.

Reviewed by Pauline Finch

[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.

[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.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy via the publisher, this did not influence my review.

I previously read and enjoyed Fennelly's collection of "micro-memoirs," Heating and Cooling, so I was eager to read her newest collection. Perhaps because she is a poet she has an uncanny ability to cut to the heart of a personal story or issue. At times, with no more than a sentence she can elicit a wave of sadness or a laugh. While the essays could stand alone there are central themes of loss and love throughout as she shares stories of her sister who passed and episodes from her mother and mother-in-laws' bouts with dementia. Having been busy and stressed over the last month or two it was a perfect read - bite sized passages that I could enjoy whenever I did have a few moments to spare.

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced listener copy of this audiobook.

Overall, I really appreciated this memoir. The author’s reflections on Alzheimer’s, grief, and loss were deeply moving, and I found myself emotionally walking alongside her through the most difficult moments. The book carries a lot of depth and power, and the vulnerability on the page made it a meaningful listening experience.

That said, I struggled with the narration. While I understand the author narrated her own story, the delivery felt somewhat choppy at times, which made it difficult for me to stay fully engaged. I found myself having to rewind and playback for clarity. I ultimately listened at 2x speed to maintain focus.

[Jade Augustine · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't love this for a few reasons.

I received a copy of the audiobook and noticed the narration is a bit choppy at times and there are some editing errors that are still present.

Additionally, I really wanted to be drawn into the author's stories and thoughts. I really appreciated how she didn't shy away of topics of cognitive decline, death of a sibling, and other difficult topics. However, I felt like the same topics were continually being rehashed in a similar manner, and after a little bit, I felt like I wasn't gaining anything new from some of the stories.

I am sure this will resonate with some people and there is certainly a lot to appreciate here, it just wasn't for me at this time!

[Lauren Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much for the early copy! I went to a reading of this book and it was lovely.

This collection of “micro-memoirs” feels incredibly vulnerable. It covers topics like grief, friendship, and memory in a nuanced and beautiful way. I enjoyed many of the pieces in this collection and appreciate just how vulnerable the author was willing to be with her audience.

Despite how well-written this book is, though, I cannot deny that it bothers me that the cover was created using generative AI. This is indicated on the back flap. I feel it’s incredibly important to keep generative AI out of creative spaces, and the choice to do so with this book does detract a bit from the beauty of the work within.

Overall, though, I am glad to have read it.

[Jillian Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a die-hard Beth Ann Fennelly fan. So much of what she writes either opens my mind to a new perspective, or it feels like she's writing down thoughts I've never been able to verbalize. When her first book of micro-memoirs (Heating and Cooling) came out in 2018 I stayed up late into the night reading it. Then I read everything else by her I could get my hands on. So, you can imagine my joy when this book was announced. But I think, perhaps, my love of her writing may have set this book up to meet an unrealistic standard. I wasn't as charmed, or amazed, or shaken as I'd hoped to be. But, I think I'll read it again and give it another chance. Without the weight of my heavy, pre-formed thoughts, this book will probably take a shape I didn't expect.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Fennelly’s first volume of micro-memoirs, Heating and Cooling, and this is a wonderful follow-up. Some entries are several pages long and function as essays, while others are only a paragraph or even a single sentence (as a poet, Fennelly is able to distill an aspect of her life into few words). All of them are beautifully crafted, containing a range of emotions reflecting a full life well lived.

Topics include Fennelly’s marriage to writer Tom Franklin, the unexpected death of her sister, her mother’s dementia, and posing for a nude portrait. There’s a lot of humour, and some sadness. I highly recommend both volumes of these micro-memoirs.

Thank you to NetGalley and W.W. Norton for allowing me to read an ARC of this title.

[Janene Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

The genre, micro-memoir was new to me and I loved it. I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by the author, Beth Ann Fennell. The bite sized glimpses of her life, her voice, and sentences crafted with care drew me in. The chapter on sibling loss really resonated with me and I wished we were real life friends to connect. This book will stayy with me and actually I am encouraged to look through other micro-memoirs as it felt more personal, less fact more feeling and I loved that it didn't have to be a chronological account of one's life. Highly recommend. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC.

[Alicia Garcia-Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely swoonalicious in every way! Fennelly is able to say so much in so few words, and I was completely gobsmacked by her ability to capture the essence of a thing so brilliantly. Sometimes funny, more often a punch in the gut, but always profound. I might also add, that the more life experience that you have had, whether chronologically-speaking or from hard-won adventures, the more you'll be able to appreciate and resonate with the author's reminiscences. A lovely book that would make a beautiful gift for a female friend (or relative) in your life. **I received this book for free from the publisher, but all opinions are my own.