Kevin Barry is an Irish writer. He is the author of two collections of short stories, and the novel City of Bohane, which was the winner of the 2013 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.
This is a book about the state of Ireland in 2021. Like the country, some parts of the anthology are inspiring, and some bring on faint nausea. Like the country also, some parts of the collection are woefully self-absorbed and clunky, while other parts reach to the troposphere of artistic experience. It is a beautiful object, tactile and chunky. Nicely typeset and well worth reading.