Homesickness - by Colin Barrett

About the Book

"First published in Great Britain in 2022 by Jonathan Cape, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK"--Copyright page.

Book Synopsis

The second book from the "exact and poetic" (New York Times) author of critical smash Young Skins, winner of the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35, Homesickness  is an emotionally resonant and wonderfully wry collection that follows the lives of outcasts, misfits, and malcontents from County Mayo to Canada.

When Colin Barrett's debut Young Skins published, it swept up several major literary awards, and, in both its linguistic originality and sharply drawn portraits of working-class Ireland, earned Barrett comparisons to Faulkner, Hardy, and Musil. Now, in a blistering follow-up collection, Barrett brings together eight character-driven stories, each showcasing his inimitably observant eye and darkly funny style.

A quiet night in a local pub is shattered by the arrival of a sword-wielding fugitive; a funeral party teeters on the edge of this world and the next, as ghosts simply won't lay in wake; a shooting sees a veteran policewoman confront the banality of her own existence; and an aspiring writer grapples with his father's cancer diagnosis and in his despair wreaks havoc on his mentor's life.

The second piece of fiction from a "lyrical and tough and smart" (Anne Enright) voice in contemporary Irish literature, Homesickness  marks Colin Barrett out as our most brilliantly original and captivating storyteller.

Review Quotes

Praise for Homesickness:

A Best Book of the Year from the New York Times and Oprah Daily

A New York Times Editors' Choice

"Shot through with dark humor, pitch-perfect dialogue and a signature freshness that makes life palpable on the page...Homesickness is graced with an original, lingering beauty." -- Stuart Dybek, New York Times Book Review

"With dark humor and lyrical expansiveness, Barrett's second collection of stories captures the weirdness and beauty of seemingly ordinary lives." -- New Yorker, Best Books of 2022 So Far

"Many a writer claims mastery of technique, but few deliver at the level of Colin Barrett, whose roving perspectives, lopped-off endings and Kevin Barry-esque dialogue dazzle in his second collection...Barrett is a doyen of the sentence; each snaps and sings like a bullwhip. We know these people because we hear and see them in perfect clarity--they're not homesick so much as sick of home." -- Oprah Daily

"Superb...[T]here is an utterness to his attention, a devotion to the lives of his characters, that shifts the work into some more lasting place. Barrett is already one of the leading writers of the Irish short story, which is to braggingly say, one of the leading writers of the short story anywhere. He means every word and regrets every word. He just kills it." -- Guardian

"Colin Barrett...owns the domain of the short story....He writes what he knows, but he also writes to discover what he doesn't know, a simple but crucial distinction you can sense instinctively, no matter how many of his compatriots you've already read." -- Los Angeles Times

"A beautiful and moving collection, from one of the best story writers in the English language today." -- Financial Times

"Homesickness is another finely crafted collection, again set largely on Barrett's home turf of County Mayo, portrayed once more as a cauldron of alarming violence and simmering disappointment. Crisply told, fond of an eye-catching flourish... the stories draw energy from the rhythms of west of Ireland small talk, added to Barrett's eye for striking detail...The scenarios are richly layered, with punchy payoffs." - The Observer

"The eight sparkling, minimally plotted tales in [Barrett's] latest...foreground humour, and their author's uncanny ear for dialogue and Irish vernacular." -- Globe & Mail

"Barrett's stories are, without exception, beautifully written, full of arresting imagery." - Booklist (starred review)

"Bittersweet and chiseled...From gritty realism to oddball noir, this assured collection demonstrates the talent of a distinctive writer." -- Publishers Weekly

"Richly descriptive...This sharply observant collection resists pigeonholing its recalcitrant characters." -- Kirkus Reviews

"If there is any concern about the health of the short story in the next generation of Irish writers, Colin Barrett's Homesickness: Stories, his second collection, should help put that to rest. Like novelist Sally Rooney, Barrett is well-attuned to the attitudes and preoccupations of mostly younger Irish men and women, though his subjects are markedly dissimilar to the highly educated, intensely verbal characters in Rooney's work.... Characters like these may be humble, but there's nothing unimpressive about their portrayal in these thoughtful, well-wrought tales." -- Shelf Awareness

"Barrett's mostly dogged characters live hardscrabble lives, and in this strong second collection--not a repeat act--readers become involved in the simple but crucial issue of how they will manage." -- Library Journal

"This is a mesmerizingly powerful book, full of the strangeness and beauty of life. I've learned so much from Colin Barrett's work as a reader and writer, and I think these stories are his best yet."--Sally Rooney

"A masterwork--by turns hilarious and heart-breaking, these stories shimmer. No story writer at work today thrills me more than Colin Barrett, whose characters feel immediately so familiar and true in their capacity to maim and love. What fierce, tender stories. Totally unforgettable."--Brandon Taylor

"Something struck me as I read these beautifully crafted, desperately sad, but often very funny stories: there is now a branch of English called the Colin Barrett."--Roddy Doyle

"The stories in Homesickness are crafted with skill and flair. Colin Barrett anchors the work with emotional accuracy and careful delineation of character, and then, using metaphors and beautifully made sentences, he lets his narrative soar."-- Colm Tóibín

"These are addictive, stylish and violently funny stories, with riches on every page--an outstanding collection."--Kevin Barry

"With a sharp eye for the absurd in the ordinary, Barrett's stories impart gritty and touching realisations about life as it really is. Edgy, sharp and utterly original, Homesickness is an utterly compelling collection and Barrett is meticulous."-- Elaine Feeney

"Homesickness presents us with a set of characters forever losing things: other people's dogs, girlfriends, the will to live...Between the comedy, and the pure thrill of the language, there's a lot of sorrow and mental illness here, but the afterglow of the stories, which settle and stay with you, is one of moving regard for the flaws and wants we battle, flee, and bargain with every day of our lives."--Chris Power

About the Author

Colin Barrett is from County Mayo, Ireland. In 2009 he was awarded the Penguin Ireland Prize, and his debut collection Young Skins won The Rooney Prize, The Frank O'Connor International Short Story Prize, The Guardian First Book Award and was a National Book Foundation "5 Under 35". In 2018 he was announced as the Rolex Arts Initiative Literary Protege, mentored by Colm Toibin. His stories have appeared in New Yorker, The Stinging Fly, New Statesman, Harper's and on BBC Radio 4.