Family News

by Naoise Dolan

A woman must move in with her sister and niece.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Contemporary, Ireland, Irish Literature, Literary Fiction

30 pages, Unknown Binding

Published August 6, 2020

About the author

Naoise Dolan is a queer and autistic Irish writer born in Dublin. She obtained an English degree from Trinity College Dublin in 2016 and later a Master's Degree in Victorian Literature from Oxford University. Her first novel Exciting Times had an excerpt published in The Stinging Fly by Sally Rooney and became a Sunday Times bestseller.

Reviews

[richa ⋆.˚★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We’re not great talkers, are we?” Eileen said. “The family.”
“Not this branch”, I said.

Terribly short yet left a warm feeling.

You can find it here.

[camilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

i may be biased, but i think everything naoise dolan writes is magic

[droogie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brief!
Read it here.

[Ester · Rating 3 out of 5]

good in the moment but forgetable

[breeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Ma's gay for lamps'
Highly relatable.

[Lena · Rating 3 out of 5]

“We’re not great talkers, are we?” Eileen said. “The family.”
“Not this branch”, I said.

3.5

[Orla · Rating 3 out of 5]

well-written and loved the nuance but ended really abruptly

[María · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anyway, I think when you give someone a small thing to worry about, you’re doing them a kindness.

¿Drama familiar, historia corta y literatura irlandesa? No necesito más, I'm sold, y efectivamente me zambullí en esta lectura sin saber nada más al respecto. ¿El resultado? La he disfrutado y está bien para pasar el rato mientras se tiene un tiempo muerto. Yo la leí antes de desayunar y ha sido una manera maravillosa de comenzar el día.

[chester · Rating 4 out of 5]

while a very short story, Family News is a pearl. a glimpse into the imperfect life of a young woman. Naoise Dolan really is a terrific stylist, and the quality of her prose elevates this snapshot into something closer to art.

#Augustism

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have two sisters and my own teenage daughter, so this story really hit home.

[Nupur Jindal · Rating 2 out of 5]

crisp

[olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 - nice writing but forgettable, still want to read exciting times

[Ellen Christofi Johansson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would’ve loved it to be longer, because as a novella it’s a bit forgettable. I really enjoy Dolan’s writing though.

[alfo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wearily familiar with sisterhood.Sometimes its my amplest consolation while other days it feels like an unhealed fracture.

[char ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆

“We’re not great talkers, are we?” Eileen said. “The family.”

“Not this branch”, I said.

[emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

short, but i remember enjoying family dynamics of this one. just wished this was longer like i do for most short stories.

[Joana Gomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wish it were a bit longer and the relationships a bit more developed but I enjoyed the story and thought it better than Exciting Times.

[eleanor]

checked this out on a whim on a lunch break and loved it

[cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

god, i love irish lit

[Vera Marsova · Rating 2 out of 5]

My favorite author. Not my favorite short story.

[Days]

Naoise Dolan i will read whatever you write...

but also where is the rest of this!!! please i need more

[Esther Huntington-Whiteley · Rating 3 out of 5]

'There was illness going around. We were worried about our family, all of them, but you had to unload your anxiety only on people who had less of it.'

This was unmemorable but still enjoyable at the time.

[sarah pascalle · Rating 2 out of 5]

i don't know what it is about me and naoise dolan, but after loving her short story mothers friend and hating her novel exciting times, i find this one just mediocre. not bad, but also nothing that sticks in my mind..

[Tom Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.00